Rise of the Yokai Clan: Maboroshi no Uta
by Kiera Vincent
Summary: Name: Higurashi Kimiko. Occupation: Second year HS student, Vice Pres of the Student Council, Heiress of the Kyouga Clan, Granddaughter of Inu no Taisho (and daughter of the hanyo, Inuyasha and the priestess, Kagome), and Third Generation Leader of the Azai Clan. Weakness: If you count having lost your memories of the previous year, then yes. OCs AND OC-NESS!
1. Prologue: Connecting Pasts and Presents

**_AN: Hello everyone, I'm back from my short hiatus. _**

**_I've tried my best to make this a stand-alone story, but it is very related to the first part. It would be nice to know a bit about the first one, but if you want a little mystery, skip to the next chapter. _**

**_A little note here, if you've read the first part (or don't want to), you can skip to the author's note at the bottom. For those who haven't read the first story (and don't want to read the first part), here is the complete summary of it. Please enjoy :)_**

**00O00**

**_Prologue: Connecting Pasts and Presents_**

"Night after night, I have awaited the visits you promised to make. Though I no longer trust you, I spend my days in longing…"(1)

The words that a daiyokai once used to express the betrayal she felt…Long before the time of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, Toga and his companions were the top of the yokai society.

Izumi, his fiancé; Takeshi, his closest friend and the last survivor of the northern inu daiyokai tribe; Mezumi, Izumi's younger sister; these were his companions before he explored Feudal Japan in its entirety.

Unlike the Toga we knew, his younger self was brash, foolish, and often did not think things through. As shown when he realized that Izumi was not the one he wanted to spend eternity with. Secretly, he courted her younger sister, who ended up becoming Sesshomaru's mother.

Izumi was heartbroken once he broke off the marriage. The only one who was able to bring her out of her sadness was Takeshi, their other friend. With the four married and paired off, it seemed that everything would go back to normal. However, in a visit to the human world, Izumi found out how deep his betrayal went.

She wanted revenge. She went to confront her sister, threatening to kill her. Fortunately, Toga intervened and was able to disable and temporarily defeat Izumi.

From the shadows though, she plotted to kill him and all his descendants. She used Ryuukutsusei to end him, and was temporarily satisfied with his death.

From her marriage to Takeshi, she had two sons, Ryoumaru and Keiichi. Takeshi knew fully well what his wife was up to now that she found out about the betrayal. Being more loyal to his friend, he began to amass a clan for Touga to protect his descendants.

However, once the clan was established, he was too late. Izumi had already set her eyes on Inuyasha.

The unsuspecting hanyo and his family were unprepared for her vengeance. His wife, the renowned priestess Kagome, and his daughter, Kimiko, were all separated during the attack, which took place on his daughter's fourth birthday.

Kagome, who ended up facing the Hyakki Yakko by herself, sacrificed her soul to absorb all of their souls and purify them within herself. Kimiko was the sole witness to her mother's sacrifice, and was chosen as the bearer of the new Shikon no tama. Inuyasha was sealed to the Goshinboku once more by a mysterious person.

Through her mother's final instructions, Kimiko was forced to flee, being thrown into the bone-eater's well, where she arrived at the most unlikely place possible.

Now in the modern era, Takeshi's clan flourished, and was now led by his younger son Keiichi, because of his older brother's refusal to lead the clan. Now known as the Kyouga Gumi, they were dominant in the northern regions. Having Mount Hakurei as their base, Takeshi had taken great care to replicate much of the historical sights of the Feudal Era on the mountains slopes. One of these was the bone-eater's well, which he built in a clearing surrounded by sakura trees.

It was here where Kimiko resurfaced, passing five centuries of time, and right into Keiichi's domain. Recognizing the girl as a descendant of Inu no Taisho, and the only one living at that time, he took her in and raised her as his younger sister, sheltered by his clan.

It was here in the modern era that she grew up into a beautiful young woman, though secretly kept and protected. However, she did not grow up without a trace of her father's daiyokai heritage. With most of her powers sealed, she was only able to awaken her full yokai form on a night lit by the full moon.

It was on a night like that when she first met Nura Rikuo, the head of the Nura Clan, dominant throughout all of Japan. Intrigued by the discovery of a creature like him, he went on to acquaint himself with her clan.

Not many years after Kimiko's disappearance from the past, the Kyouga Clan's first years as an official clan were trying. Sesshomaru's mother had passed on, growing tired of life on earth. Fearing for his new family, Sesshomaru had had them entrusted to her to be protected as he searched for those who had wiped Inuyasha and his family off the face of the earth.

With Rin's death as the last straw, he found Izumi and like his father, rendered her unable to extract further revenge for but a few decades. Growing heartbroken with life without Rin, he followed her to the underworld, leaving his daughter Aoi alone.

She became Takeshi's ward, growing up with Keiichi and became a part of the clan.

However, Izumi had returned again, having only her to kill, she sent her night parade once more to challenge Takeshi's clan. Bested however by those she left, she was able to kill her former husband before being sealed by Keiichi, who made sure that the seal would only be broken when the blood of one who had Toga's blood was used. But before sealing his mother, he had sealed Aoi away, to keep Izumi from ever getting her hands on her.

Back in the present, Izumi's followers managed to obtain Kimiko's blood, which in turn caused Nura Rikuo to take Kimiko back to Ukiyoe with him.

Her stay with him was not uneventful. By releasing her night self from her mother's seal, she began to train with him on how to use fear. Discovering her newfound powers, she trained more in Tono, but her visit was cut short when arriving back in Ukiyoe, she found that one of the friends she held closest to her had been kidnapped and was held hostage.

Enraged, she went back to Mount Hakurei, where she defeated one of Izumi's right-hand men, Goro, a six-tailed fox with Nura Rikuo's help. However, not soon after that, she engaged in a fight with Ryoumaru, Keiichi's older brother, which led to the breaking of Tessaiga, which was entrusted to her before she fell down the well. It also released the bloodthirsty nature of the inu daiyokai, causing her to almost kill him before she was stopped by Keiichi.

Finding out from Miyoga the flea that she had to do something about her darker side, she stole away back to Ukiyoe for Rikuo's help. The only way to repair Tessaiga without using either her father's fang or her grandfather's fang was to have another daiyokai contribute their powers to bring the sword back together.

Hesitantly, Rikuo brought her to the Hanyo village where she was helped by some of the villagers to find one of the oldest daiyokai in history who had escaped discovery by sealing herself in a mirror. Accepting her help, Tessaiga was possessed by a new demon, Kougetsu. The addition of her powers proved a fatal fusion because not only was her bloodthirsty self sealed, but she was granted the youki and powers of the daiyokai, only being able to access them when she used her sword.

Slowly Kimiko had developed feelings for Rikuo, being the one who had helped her through so many obstacles in her life, despite her complicated past. Indirectly, he encouraged her to move on and not look to the past to define her future. Little did she know that her feelings were mirrored, but almost equally hidden by the Sandaime.

Right before she faced her final fight, she stumbled upon a barrier that caused her innermost desires to come out and overshadow her memories of the present. Breaking the barrier with her willpower and strength as a priestess, she found her sealed father and released him. Having an awkward reunion with Rikuo accompanying her, the three headed for Izumi's location as well as the incoming day.

Events flew by and she was eventually faced with the unsealed Izumi. Being warned by someone who had faced the daiyokai right before her, she reluctantly used the Shikon no tama to enhance her powers as a daiyokai and bring Izumi down.

The jewel's presence brought out Rikuo's night side as well, and the two faced Izumi together. After being pushed to the edge, Izumi transformed, leaving Rikuo no choice but to use Matoi with the fully yokai Kimiko. Fatally injuring her in one blow, Kimiko and Keiichi reconciled with Izumi before her death.

However, it was not over, seeing as one of Izumi's servants had witnessed her mistress' death and took out all of her rage on Kimiko, who had now taken her human form. Being mortally injured by the two-tails, Kimiko whispered her final goodbyes to Rikuo, admitting her feelings before giving up her final breath.

But the jewel within her and Keiichi had other plans. Finally adopting her the "yokai" way, he infused her with his demon blood, transforming her into a hanyo. However, in order for that to have worked, the jewel had granted her wish not to leave her family and friends again. In turn for her new life, it had sealed all her memories…

**Author's note:**

** (1)=The first quote of the summary is from Ise Monogatari...It is not my creation**

**Hello everyone, Kiera here. This is only the prologue and it's the really detailed summary of the first story so that you wouldn't have to read the first one from the beginning. If you want to get more information, whenever I introduce a character that you're not familiar with, I will be putting a small list at the bottom of each chapter containing the role of that character.**

**Asides from that, for those who have already read the original, this new story will hopefully be taking a new format. The chapters will hopefully be shorter and most chapters will have a centralized character. I will be writing from third person limited with only that character's thoughts incorporated. Others will be told through the perspective of the characters involved with each event. Kimiko will be telling a lot, and I will be attempting to write from the original characters of the show's perspectives as well.**

**I hope you enjoy this first bit, as a lot will be coming.**

**The first story is mostly background for this one. Although I introduced an antagonist pretty quickly, this one will go slower, much like Nurarihyon no Mago. The first one followed InuYasha's storyline template…(meaning one main conflict with a main antagonist and then many short adventures in the middle).**

**Okay, I think that's all I have to say for now. I'd really like to know what you think so far of a sequel, seeing as I did leave you off hanging. Please review everyone and have a nice day!**

**-Kiera Vincent**


	2. What Life is now like

**I. What life is now like**

**~Kimiko~**

"Okay class, time's up! Put your homework from yesterday on my desk. And Higurashi-kun, please stay behind," their teacher, Kawasaki-sensei said.

The mentioned girl stood up, being the last to place her homework on the teacher's desk.

She was slightly taller than the average girl, having a slender figure but noticeable curves. Her long black hair, falling past her waist, was worn with a white headband. But it was her eyes that most people considered the most captivating part. They were lush chocolate brown. These were the reasons why she was considered Byakuren High's number one beauty.

"Yes sensei?" she asked, slowly sliding into the chair closest to her teacher's desk.

"I know I'm holding you back from your student council meeting, but I was wondering," she began. She pushed her rimless glasses up her nose, and sighed. The girl wondered what was going on.

"It's okay sensei, Itsuki-kaichou wouldn't mind."

"Oh," her teacher smiled. "Well, you heard about the exchange program our academy has initiated with Ukiyoe High."

"Of course," the girl replied, shifting in her seat. What was this leading to?

"Good…Since our class representative from II-2 is one of the students partaking in this program, I would like _you_ to ask a particular student from the incoming students to become class representative."

"Me? Itsuki-kaichou is more than capable of –"

"I know he is," Kawasaki-sensei replied knowingly. "But I'd like you to do so, since he is at your level, Kimiko-chan."

"I will do so then, Sensei," Kimiko replied, bowing respectfully before taking her bag and leaving the classroom.

00O00

"Ah, sorry for missing the meeting today, Itsuki-kaichou," Kimiko muttered as she closed the door behind her. Said president stood leaning on the window, gazing with a contemplative look outside.

His ash blonde hair reflected the dying sunset sky while his azure eyes were reminiscent of the clear blue noon sky. He turned around, smiling at his younger friend.

"It's alright Kimiko-sama," he replied, cheerfully taking his seat on his desk. Dropping her school bag on the first table she neared, she walked over to him.

"I thought I told you not to call me that, Katashi-san" she said exasperatedly, putting her hands on her waist.

Itsuki Katashi was the son of the school's headmistress, which also meant that the student council under his control was effective, gathering much support from the staff. However, his family had secrets as well, they were a legendary group of gitsune daiyokai who belonged to the Kyouga Clan.

"But we're alone, aren't we?" he said with a smirk. "It's okay to call you Kimiko-sama, since you are my superior."

"But you know how awkward I feel when you call me that…" she reasoned, leaning on the whiteboard. She studied the notes left by the secretary, who was none other than her best friend Hanasaki Yui.

"Anyway, how are preparations for your take-over's six month anniversary?" he asked. Kimiko sighed, erasing the notes on the whiteboard and writing down new details.

"It's doing well. I have to get home early soon, or else my subordinates will start complaining, probably because they've been so excited that we have already accomplished so much in this time…Yui-chan already went ahead right?"

"Yes, and she was quite eager too," he replied, leaning on his intertwined fingers.

"It's been barely a year…" Kimiko whispered.

"A year? Since what?" Katashi asked.

"Since that person died," she answered, looking him straight in the eye.

"I shouldn't pry, shouldn't I?" he said softly.

"It's alright, he was someone we held dear…Mikoto-kun," she sighed. Then she walked over to her bag, preparing to leave. "He was killed in the battle against Niisama's Okaasan."

"Oh, one of the casualties," Katashi replied. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. I'll see you tomorrow Higurashi-kun," he said, reverting to what he called her in school hours.

"You can come tonight if you want," Kimiko said cheerfully, although knowing that the kitsune's schedule was quite full.

"Thank you for the invitation…" he said sarcastically.

"Oh well, see ya!" she called as she disappeared down the hallway.

00O00

"_Otousan!" Kimiko screamed, waking up from a sudden nightmare. Inuyasha, being there in the room, held her in his arms, rocking her softly as she sobbed. It had been merely a week since Izumi's death._

"_What's wrong Kimiko?" he whispered softly. _

"_It was the same dream…the one I always have when something's gone wrong," she whispered, holding on to her father tightly. _

"_About what?" Inuyasha asked. _

"_My fourth birthday…when Kaachan was killed…when you were sealed…when I first came here," and with that, she explained in full detail what had happened._

_oOo_

"_Kaachan," Kimiko whispered. _

"_Huh?" Inuyasha asked, opening his eyes, as he was attempting to sleep. _

"_What was she like?" Kimiko asked. With only about a year's worth of memories, she began to wonder what kind of a person her mother was. _

"_She was one of the bravest people I ever met…" Inuyasha whispered, somehow remembering the old days. "And one of the most stubborn too,"_

"_Tell me more," Kimiko begged. Most of what her parents did, she heard or read through accounts of people who researched them. _

"_Well…when I met her, she was fifteen, not much older than you. The first time I saw her, I thought she was someone else."_

"_Kikyo, right?" Kimiko stated, looking him slowly. _

"_Yeah," Inuyasha nodded, though surprisingly, it didn't bring up any issues. "She looked a whole lot like Kikyo, but she smelled differently. She smelled…like this world. She was being chased by this filthy yokai, which I dealt with easily."_

"_With Sankon Tesso…"_

"_Right; then…" Inuyasha went off, recounting adventures and when he got some details off, Kimiko corrected him, laughing as she enjoyed seeing their adventures through his eyes instead of just tales recounted by their clan members. _

_oOo_

"_Why do I feel so nervous?" she muttered to herself as she pulled the scarf around her tighter. _

"_Must be the cold," her father guessed, draping his haori on her. _

"_Must be," she repeated, rubbing her hands together. "Wait, aren't you cold?" she asked. _

"_Nah," he replied, crossing his arms. _

_Slowly, and carefully (at least for her) they climbed the steps to the shrine. It was early January, merely two weeks after the battle. Now there she was, waiting to meet her deceased mother's family. _

"_Hey, why didn't ya wait till the snow was gone?"_

"_I can't wait any longer than this Otousan."_

"_Fine, fine, we're almost at the top."_

"_Finally," she muttered. _

_It was unlike anything she expected. _

_The shrine grounds were quiet, and snow slowly piled up on the ground. A large house at the edge of the hill was lit up. Near it was a tree that was very similar to the Goshinboku back at Mount Hakurei's slopes. _

"_That can't be the Goshinboku right?" Kimiko muttered. _

"_It's original one, the one that lasted for over five hundred years. The hut beside it is the one holding the bone-eater's well. I suppose the one back at Mount Hakurei is a replica."_

"_Ah," Kimiko sighed. It explained why she emerged from that bone-eater's well. It was because the one here had been blocked up by Kagome's will without her knowing._

"_Kagome?!" she heard a woman's voice say. She turned to find a woman in her early fifties, with curly short brown hair and warm brown eyes. Sadly, Kimiko shook her head. Her father though, sighed. _

"_Kagome's okaasan," he muttered. _

"_Obaasan?" Kimiko asked him. He nodded, though solemnly at that. _

"_Inuyasha-kun?" the lady asked, turning to him. He nodded to her this time. "Where's Kagome?" With his silent reply, she gasped, dropping the umbrella she was holding to shield herself against the falling snow. _

"_Okaasan!" he said, catching her as she fell to her knees. Kimiko stood there, anticipating that she would be blamed, for no credible reason. _

"_Obaasan," she murmured more softly this time, dropping on her knees to help the lady. _

"_You…you look so much like her," she said with a soft sigh. "You must be her daughter… your daughter," she added, turning to Inuyasha, who only nodded. _

"_I'm so happy that I can finally meet you," the girl replied. The lady's tears did not stop but she smiled. _

"_It's nice to finally meet you too."_

_oOo_

_After a few months of visiting her grandmother and eventually meeting her uncle, Kimiko developed a better sense of identity and in a way, became stronger than she was before. _

_All of her clan members began to notice the change in her, and soon, her maturity had reached her own brother's ears. He paid her a visit, ready to make that one announcement that would change her world. _

"_Kimiko," he muttered. _

"_Yes, Oniisama," she replied, sitting up straight as she was taught since younger. _

"_The clan leaders and I have decided…"_

"_Decided what?"_

"_They, and I, have deemed you worthy of really taking on the duties of a lady of the Kyouga Clan. As my younger sister, and because you now have my blood flowing in your veins, we would like you to accept the title of Ojousama of the Kyouga Clan and become the next Sandaime of the clan."_

"_Sandaime?" she whispered, trying to hide her shock. _

"_But of course, you will not lead until I decide to relinquish my title."_

"_I understand that, but to become the next heir? Have they given up on you having children?" she asked him. He sweat-dropped and blushed. "But Aoi-chan is back…why me?"_

"_I…" he began awkwardly, "I've decided to take our relationship slowly, seeing as she still needs to get used to this world."_

"_Oh," she murmured. "I'll accept my duties as Ojousama, but I hope that it will never come to pass that I have to become the next leader."_

"_The acknowledging ceremony will be held tonight. After that, I would like to send you on a long-term mission as preparation for your duties."_

"_What kind of mission?"_

"_Congratulations," he said with a smile, "you're going to have your own clan."_

00O00

AN: For all of you guys out there who have read the first part of this story, I thank you for continuing to bear with me and Kimiko. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and will be looking forward to reading more.

Now I understand that I put quite a lot of original characters for a Fanfic, so I am prepared to try and help you remember since you have been as kind enough to read this. So here's a list to help you out! (Am I not a kind author? Please don't answer that, I'm kinda scared of finding out your opinion)

1. Higurashi (formerly Kyouga) Kimiko- our story's female protagonist

2. Kyouga Keiichi – Kimiko's older adoptive brother and the leader of the Kyouga Clan.

3. Itsuki Katashi – a kitsune yokai who is the president of Byakuren Academy's Student Council

4. Hanasaki Yui – Kimiko's best friend who is a member of her clan (by the way, she's human, despite being in a yokai clan).

5. Kyouga Izumi – Keiichi's biological mother who was also the main antagonist of the first story. She's just going to be mentioned here from time to time.

As time goes, I'll be adding a few more people in most chapters. Those that I do not mention (like Kawasaki-sensei), mean that they're not that important.

Asides from those notes, I humbly thank you all for reading and more humbly ask you to please leave a review or a comment.

Arigato Gozaimasu! Kiera-san


	3. Kamasai Town's Azai Clan

**II. Kamasai town's Azai Clan**

00O00

As soon as she was oriented, Kimiko chose those she deemed worthy of joining her as she went outside the clan's borders to spend most of her days training to become the next clan leader.

Her group consisted of many yokai, but she made sure that they would all make a tightly knit group that would remain loyal to her. Because of her hesitance in exchanging sakazuki (more on her rare usage if sake rather than the loyalty of her subordinates), few exchanged their loyalties with her. However, those she did exchanged sakazuki with had other subordinates who agreed to join her cause.

Her brother assigned one of the old-styled but beautiful nonetheless, mansion on the outskirts of the Daihyouren Clan's borders (they were a sub group of the Kyouga Clan).

Their mission was to make sure that certain yokai activities did not interfere with human activities to ensure peace between the two species. As an addition to her work, she and a few others from her clan decided to attend the local high school, Byakuren Academy.

00O00

From school, Kimiko arrived at a tall old-fashioned wooden sliding gate. The emblem of her clan, a crescent moon with a sakura blossom in the middle, was carved on both doors which were wide open.

As soon as she entered, she found herself in a traditionally designed garden with ponds and small houses in the lakes connected by bridges. Although beside the gate was a modern style garage where cars were kept for their rare use.

Gravel filled most of the entrance, and a small fence divided the grass from it. There was an old brick path that eventually led to a small but prominent hill, where a four-story pagoda-styled mansion stood, overlooking the surrounding gardens.

The building itself looked old-fashioned, but the first two floors consisted of modern-day rooms with functional water systems and such. When you opened the door, you would find yourself in a wide receiving room which took up about a third of the first floor. Decorated with both modern and ancient furniture, it was the place where her subordinates socialized and spent their free time.

After all, most of the yokai under her were close to her age as well, leading to them having similar ideas for innovation and technology (and that my dears, include nintendo wii, home theater, and a slightly upgraded hidden camera system).

The back wall held two doors, one led to the enormous kitchen, and the other led to a sort of office. This was where most of the business of her clan was carried out.

Asides from being a yakuza yokai clan at night, the Kyouga Clan had other commerce to back them up financially. One particular favorite of Keiichi's was real estate, hence the complex architecture of their mansion.

The western walls of the mansion was mostly made out of glass. It was this side of the building which looked out on the garden.

Most of the second floor was for ceremonial purposes. About half of it was taken up by the meeting room, and it was here where the celebration was to be held. It also held rooms that could be combined and separated by parchment doors. So if the female yokai wanted sleepovers, they spent their time there.

The third floor was the clan's quarters where most of her clan members slept. There were no more than four people a room and each room served as its own semi-private space for each. Of course, there were small bathrooms in every room.

The fourth floor was the smallest, seeing as the building was built to resemble a pagoda. It served as Kimiko's bedroom/ study area/ office. It was mostly empty, asides from the thick futon in the middle of the room.

The only entrance was a door on the floor which could be opened through a string tugged from the ceiling. Much like an attic, the stairs that led up there were hidden, but easily pulled out from the adjacent wall.

The southern wall of her room held the doors to her walk-in closet which housed both modern day clothes and the twelve layered ceremonial robes she was required to wear as nobility.

She had a small but wide table at the back with her own laptop and speakers which she had gotten used to since she began attending school (essays and book journals). There was also a set of swords she used in training which sat on display behind her bed.

She spent a lot of time there, either to finish up on school projects or to plan or organize for the next inspection of her territory.

Both the eastern and western walls had large french windows that could be opened to look across the horizon. She usually kept them shut until she went to sleep, when the moon served as her only nightlight.

00O00

The mansion wasn't only used for the basic necessities of a large group of ayakashi. The hill on which it sat on top of is one example of why.

On the hill's western slope, there was an opening that resembled a partially open cave from the outside. It was mostly covered by mist and steam and in addition to that, it was surrounded by tall trees.

Inside however, it was where they had their own natural hot springs (the house was built on top of it). Separated by a stone wall, it held pools for either gender. This was where they usually relaxed. It wasn't only to take a dip but because of its western location, they could admire the sunset and yet be protected from the sight of perverts because of the mist and the trees. Of course, you can't be too careful…

There were two ways to get there. One was by taking a staircase in the common room which descended into the cabinets/closets which held whatever necessities they needed for the baths. Speaking of baths, further inside the cave was where they had bathing areas.

The other way was to take the staircase outside the cave which was carved into the hill's northwestern slope. It led to wooden double-doors which led to the same area as the staircase from inside the house.

The garden that surrounded the building ended at the backyard, where it was designed to be an outdoor training area aside from the dojo already underneath it.

00O00

"Kimiko-chan!" squealed Yui as she threw open the doors to the girl's room. Kimiko shrieked, and pulled close the kimono she was trying to wear. Blushing madly, she couldn't help but hide underneath all the silk that she had brought out.

"You okay?" asked her best friend as she dug under the clothes.

"Diff fee arouwn," she heard a muffled sound. Yui raised an eyebrow and tried scattering the silk.

"What did you say?"

"Leave me alone!" Kimiko screamed, covering her bare torso. "Can't you see I'm trying to dress up?"

"Too bad…we came to help after all," said another cheerful female voice.

From the shadows behind Kimiko rose another female yokai. She, like most of the Kyouga Clan's ladies, had waist-length hair, except hers was dark brown. She also had dark stormy grey eyes. Her hair was in a small bun and she crossed her arms over her black and grey kimono.

"Would you stop doing that, Irie-chan?" Kimiko growled.

"Doing what?" she replied teasingly, yanking out the silver outermost layer of Kimiko's kimono, which lay in one of the shelves.

"Coming out of the shadows…it's really annoying!" she complained, pulling her hair out of the mess it had become.

"Here," Yui said, handing her a comb. "Everyone's already ready."

"And I'm barely dressed. You two are not helping…at all!" Kimiko complained, hoisting up the first kimono and roughly tying her obi. Though she wasn't going to wear a twelve layered ceremonial robe (juni hitoe), she still had a lot of preparation to make.

00O00

After taking it easy with her usual light purple furisode (kimono with long sleeves, like Tsurara's), Kimiko made her entrance and speech concerning how well they had done as a clan despite only being active since half a year ago. Many cheered and everyone had fun. It wasn't that different from other nights when they decided to have a party, only this time, the levels of craziness were a lot higher than usual.

Some drank sake, others played Wii, and more played Truth or Dare. Kimiko only played Wii because number one, she didn't like sake, and number two, she had to preserve her pride as a leader and Truth or Dare wasn't going to improve on that at all.

00O00

AN: So new characters…

Kageshima Irie – Kimiko and Yui's close friend as well as a high-ranking officer in the Azai Clan

I guess that's all for this chapter. Anyways, I hope you guys weren't bored out by the long description of their house…Fanfic dot net doesn't really allow authors to show pics…sadly…

Please don't forget to review! Thanks to sanddrake11 for your review and eagerness to begin reading...

Oh yeah, and next chappie's up too :)


	4. Never trust an Onmyojior hanyou either

**III. Never trust an Onmyoji, or is it the other way around?**

**~Aoi~**

"Aoi, grab that box for me please," Keiichi muttered as he shifted his legs. He had been reading a book and seemed to have remembered something. Aoi got up from leaning on his lap, darting over to his shelf where he kept many of his various things.

She picked up a small pink velvet box on the shelf. She recognized to be similar to the one which held her own: a necklace he had given her when she was unsealed. She fingered hers, admiring the light blue butterfly pendant that hung from the simple yet elegant silver chain.

Unlike the usual modern necklaces, the one he had given her was from steel re-enforced with demon body parts, much like their weapons. She suspected that he had probably used his fang in hers, and in the necklace inside the box she was now holding.

Then her gaze wandered to its giver, admiring his somewhat deceiving cold appearance: ice blue eyes and short scattered silver hair.

"What's this for?" she asked. Keiichi sighed and closed his book, returning it to its place on his shelf. By doing so, he ended up standing next to Aoi, who was still looking at the box.

"Kimiko's gift," he replied, patting her head as he grabbed his haori from her shoulders.

"You forgot to give it to her, didn't you?" she accused teasingly. He sighed, and gazed softly at her.

It was a thing she had suggested for him to do when Kimiko finally had her own clan. Although only half a year younger, Aoi had a great respect for her cousin.

"I'll have it sent to her this afternoon," he replied, heading for the door.

"Right," she muttered sarcastically. Then her face lit up. "Wait a minute!" she called.

"What now?" he asked, turning around with a grumpy look on his face.

"I'll take it to her later," she said excitedly. "I haven't seen her for a while…"

"You just visited her last week…" he stated, leaning against the door frame.

"So?" she pouted. She heard him sigh.

"Just be back by tomorrow. I can't have you spending all your time with her," he said softly. Despite his cold appearance, he had his sweet moments too.

She adjusted her kimono and headed to where Ah-un was stationed in the stables.

00O00

The leader of the panther demon tribe, a young-looking girl with feline features and dark hair and chocolate brown eyes appeared in the doorway, smiling as though she had just found whoever she was looking for.

"Ah, Aoi-chan," she stated, folding her hands. "I've got the thing you asked me to get!" Freezing suddenly, Aoi breathed. Then she ran to the doorway and looked left to right swiftly. There was no sign of Keiichi.

"Don't tell him I didn't give her my present yet either," she muttered, dragging the hyouneko (panther) inside.

"My lips are sealed," the yokai replied, zipping her lips.

"Thanks Kiomi-neechan!" she called as she got on Ah-un and had taken off.

"I hope Kimiko-chan is happy with those two's presents," Kiomi murmured as she took a final look around before she left as well.

00O00

It wasn't too long before Aoi had reached the outskirts of the Kyouga Clan, the town of Kamasai, where Kimiko was now based. She could see everything from the sky, and made sure that Ah-un was carefully concealed among the clouds. But even the distance between the sky and the ground could not compensate for the traveling cries of help from those below.

Hearing immediately, Aoi took Ah-un down, finding that there was a small girl in need of her help.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked, hoping that her strange appearance alone wouldn't freak the girl out as much rather than a sight of both her and her two-headed dragon.

"Ah…doggy ears," the girl whispered with a smile as Aoi picked her up. Despite Aoi's silver hair and golden eyes, she was glad that at least someone had found her. The sun was fading and it was almost night.

"It seems that you're lost," Aoi murmured. "I better get you home." She moved closer to the girl, taking a small whiff of her scent. "Let's see, I think I may be able to help you find your way back."

Unknown to them, two figures in dark clothes followed them closely.

00O00

Aoi followed the scents she caught on the girl. About a block away from the house, she was distracted by the scent of a passing ramen cart (it runs in their blood!). She leaned in closer to the girl to catch the needed smell again when suddenly, a blast of water distracted her, forcing both of them to dodge and fall against a wall. Aoi cushioned the fall by placing herself behind the girl.

"Can you get home from here?" Aoi whispered. The girl nodded and ran as quickly as she could.

"Good, she left," she heard a man's voice say. She got up, noticing that she was soaking wet and found the least expected person in the world: an onmyoji. He had messy dark hair and was wearing a black cloak along with a dark yukata and clogs. "I don't want innocents involved."

"Innocents?" Aoi asked confusedly. She shook herself, getting rid of most of the water.

"What were you planning to do to the girl? Have her for dinner?" he asked.

"Who are you?" she replied, glancing at the both of them warily.

"Filthy yokai! You don't even bother trying to disguise your appearance," he added, surveying her. Unleashing another attack with his shikigami, Aoi managed to evade by jumping over it and trying to dodge away.

"Are you an inu yokai?" he asked incredulously, knowing of their rare participation in modern world affairs.

"So what if I am?" she asked, before dodging another incoming shikigami.

"Then I wouldn't mind finishing you off if I don't get any answers," he muttered, sending what he thought would be his final attack when all of a sudden, the water dissipated, revealing a glowing barrier.

He recognized it to be one erected using onmyodo. It fluctuated, then dissipated, leaving him stunned at what he saw.

The wind died down, revealing a girl with long black hair, chocolate eyes, dressed in a priestess's outfit.

"A miko?" he asked himself. "Could the rumors really be true?"

"We've found who we're looking for Ryuuji, should we kill her?" the light-haired one asked.

"State your name Onmyoji-san and I might spare you," the girl threatened, aiming her bow directly at them.

"You're a priestess, why are you protecting the yokai?" he asked, making sure that she was in fact who he thought she was.

"I assure you, if she had done something wrong, I would not spare her," she added, rolling her eyes at him. "So answer me and this entire thing will be resolved. I have no wish to harm an onmyoji, especially one who has come all the way from Kyoto."

"Kyoto? How do you know where we come from?" Ryuuji asked.

"The Keikain are one of the only Onmyoji families who have continued practicing their art in the modern times. I have no wish to have your blood on my hands," she replied.

"So you are well informed…" Ryuuji muttered releasing two of his shikigami, "just as the rumors have said." He smirked. "Devour, Garo." He summoned his shikigami.

Kimiko was barely able to put up another barrier before the water-based shikigami went straight for her. She released her arrow, letting it pass through the barrier and it pierced the wolf-like shikigami. It howled in pain and returned to perch on Ryuuji's shoulder.

"Aoi…" she whispered, "get out of here and let me finish these two."

"Hai, Oneesama," Aoi replied, getting ready to run once the barrier was lowered.

The barrier disappeared and Aoi ran, disappearing into the steam. Ryuuji heard her footsteps and instructed Mamiru to pursue.

Aoi wasn't as skilled as her cousin, due to her growing up being sheltered by her father, and then Keiichi, but she did have her instincts as an ayakashi, and an inu yokai even.

She ran towards a public place but before she could get into a safe distance, lightning blocked her way. Surprised, she managed to dodge the onmyoji's attack by mere centimeters as she ducked down.

She decided right then and there that she wouldn't keep on running away, expecting other people to protect her when she wasn't using all of her power. She got a considerable distance away from him and turned to face him, baring her fangs. She brandished her claws at him, ready to either attack or dodge again.

"I don't suppose it would help if I told you that I wasn't going to eat the girl, Onmyoji-san…" Aoi murmured. "You'd probably take it as a lie."

"…" no response; Aoi sighed.

"You're one of those silent types aren't you?" she asked, pointing an accusing finger at him. Mamiru retained his emotionless expression. "Oneesama always has to get the talkative ones," she complained, putting her hands on her hips.

"'Oneesama'? Is the miko your sister?" Mamiru asked, ever so skilled at maintaining his mask.

"Well, technically, no, but she is my cousin," Aoi explained. "But you wouldn't understand…yokai have a more possessive form of attachments. And since you've begun to talk, how about telling me your name, Onmyoji-san?"

"Keikain…Mamiru," he said as he moved forward, aiming for another strike. Aoi, relying on natural reflexes, dodged and got within a safe distance from him once more.

"Well, since you were kind enough to tell me your name, I might as well tell you mine," she explained. "Aoi." she stated.

"It does not matter, you are a yokai, and that means you are black," he stated emotionlessly.

"Huh?" for a moment, Aoi looked confused and hesitant. The moment Mamiru got close enough he froze as well.

"You-you're not completely yokai, aren't you?" he asked.

"No…I'm not." She said slowly, not sure if she was following his meaning. He could sense her human soul, and yet she possessed the body of an ayakashi. "I am a hanyou," she stated clearly, and she seemed proud to say so as well.

His lightning suddenly turned off. She stared at him, all the more confused.

"You have…a human parent?" he asked.

"Technically yeah…my okaasan was human…"

"In that case…I cannot harm you this once," he said, startling Aoi.

"Huh?!...I don't understand…" she said, taking a step back.

"I will honor your human blood this once…In the mean time, I must go back to Ryuuji."

"I can find him faster. Besides, I have to get my cousin out of there too…"

00O00

New Characters:

Aoi – Kimiko's paternal cousin (Sesshomaru's hanyo daughter) and Keiichi's girlfriend

Tetsusou Kiomi – current leader of the panther demon tribe and one of Keiichi's subordinates

AN: I finally brought Ryuuji and Mamiru into this Fanfic! Asides from this encounter, there will be more to come…

Stay tuned and please review!


	5. Rumors vs Reality

**IV. Rumors vs. Reality**

00O00

"It's over," Kimiko muttered, turning around to face her opponent, Ryuuji, with her bow loaded.

"For you, that is," Ryuuji smirked, as a trigram field surrounded her, and Kimiko's eyes widened, only to be blocked as the water around her burst upward, engulfing her entire body.

Ryuuji turned away, walking slowly from the battlefield. But something pulsed nearby, and as he turned around, the unbelievable happened.

The droplets fell around her, falling quickly but doing nothing to shield her seeming transformation. It seemed as if nothing changed and her eyes were closed. Slowly though, she was being engulfed by fear that he didn't recognize.

"Impossible…you can't be…" he muttered, his eyes widening in shock.

Her eyes opened, revealing burning golden irises surrounded by black sclera, yet nothing changed other than her eyes. She stood still, and unharmed at all by his trigram field. The unmistakable dark flames of Fear licked at her body, seeping into the atmosphere.

When she moved her gaze towards him, he found himself unable to move. The fear engulfed him, rendering him frozen by her presence. This was the fear of an inu daiyokai: complete immobility. When you know that an inu yokai will attack, it goes on defensive, heightening its presence so that you are completely at their mercy.

"Ryuuji!" Mamiru called from behind her, but Kimiko shifted her gaze, turning on him as he froze, falling to his knees. "How can it be? You're a yokai…as well?"

"You dared to lay your filthy hands on her, so you will pay with your very lives," Kimiko whispered. Her voice was different, as if she spoke with another one who lay within her. Electricity sparkled in the air, as if her natures were colliding violently, struggling to either purify or consume with fear.

For a moment, Ryuuji could see her true form, long silver hair, narrow burning golden eyes, and the complete array of her powers. She raised her hand as if to release a projectile, but was stopped by someone.

The silver-haired yokai he was trying to hunt down earlier blocked her, placing a hand on hers.

"Oneesama…stop this."

The amount of fear died down, and her electrifying aura dissipated. Ryuuji could feel his limbs again but he didn't dare attack.

"Aoi?" Kimiko murmured, confused. The hanyou who stood before her shook her head silently. "Why did you stop me? They tried to kill you!"

"It was just a misunderstanding…Before I was overpowered by the other onmyoji, he managed to realize that I was only half yokai."

"And he stopped? Is this true?" Kimiko asked, turning to the two onmyoji.

"Mamiru? The other one's a hanyo?" Ryuuji muttered, dusting off his clothes.

"Yes, her mother was human," he said, unfazed.

Ryuuji and Aoi both sweat-dropped, Kimiko raised an eyebrow half-amusedly.

"Obviously, if one of her parents was human then she would be a hanyou," Ryuuji sighed. Then he turned to Kimiko. "Then are you one too?"

"Of course, Aoi is my biological cousin after all," Kimiko replied. She picked up her bow where it had fallen. Her eyes returned to their original color and all traces of fear had finally disappeared.

"You two are cousins? But you had a completely human form earlier."

"I am a different kind of hanyo, due to certain circumstances. My father was one, and his older brother was a full blooded yokai, thus Aoi being a hanyo more similar to my father. Our grandfather happens to be the Inu no Taisho of the Sengoku Jidai."

"Then, Miko-san, what is your connection to the yokai factions here in Kamasai?" he inquired.

She faced him and looked him in the eye. "Kamasai is my territory since I am the leader of the Azai Clan, Kyouga Kimiko," she said solemnly.

"Kyouga? Do you mean that you belong to the Imperial Inu Daiyokai Kyouga Clan?" he asked incredulously. She only nodded.

"You remind me of someone else I know of," he admitted with a sigh, waiting as Mamiru got ready to head back to Kyoto. "It seems that we are unneeded here after all, Mamiru."

The two were about to leave when all of a sudden, he heard a softer voice other than Kyouga Kimiko's.

"Wait!" He turned and found the hanyo staring intently at him. "Seeing as this is all a misunderstanding, why don't you come have dinner at our mansion?"

"Huh?" Ryuuji said incredulously. Aoi only smiled as all three people around her stared at her, dumbfounded.

00O00

In the end, they did end up going to Kimiko's house. Ryuuji and Mamiru got more information on the Kyouga Clan, especially on its special alliance with the miko and the yokai-taijiya (demon-slayers).

"Will you please explain why two of Kyoto's most elite onmyoji are here in Kamasai?" Kimiko asked.

"We were sent here by the Twenty Eighth Heir of the Keikain Family, Keikain Yura, to confirm the rumors that have been going on about a miko being involved with the yokai activity here," Ryuuji replied.

"A miko? No wonder you were suspicious about me. I assure you though, all I do here is based on what the head of the family asks of me. Although alliances with other yokai are necessary for us to protect and secure our territory, if that is what you've been meaning."

"I'm afraid to tell you Kimiko, what Keikain-san is telling here is quite spot on and true," her friend Yui interrupted, looking solemn all of a sudden.

"What is this? You have been keeping something from me?"

"It's not that we've been hiding it, it's just that with you taking all these new responsibilities, we thought that we would deal with this ourselves, to lessen your burden."

"They're just rumors, though I did not expect for us to find a hanyou and a miko with the powers of a yokai," Ryuuji sighed. "Then again, if what Hanasaki-san here is true, then there is another miko involved with yokai affairs here?"

"I'm sorry Kimiko, but there have been reports on clan-less yokai who have been sighted with a miko. Although I assure you, she is not one of ours," Yui explained.

"'One of ours'? What do you mean?" Ryuuji asked, becoming more confused.

"She is not someone we know of," Kimiko intervened. "Miko who do have active spiritual powers are usually discovered and taken in by the ones at Hakurei Shrine. That is where the majority of us are trained, within the secrecy and the protection of the Kyouga Clan."

"Oh," Ryuuji's reply came. He was surprised at the amount of information they were sharing with them.

"I have reasons for sharing these information with you Keikain-san. First of all, I want to clear any doubts and to hopefully stop the rumors around this area. Second of all, if you have any more information to give, I hope you find us trustworthy enough that you would be willing to share it and believe that we can deal with this more efficiently. This is our territory after all," Kimiko explained.

"That is all we have for now, Kyouga-san, rumors," Ryuuji reassured her. Both he and Mamiru rose to leave and gave their final respects to the Azai boss.

"Give my regards to the Twenty-eighth heir, Keikain-san. Assure her that we have no ill will against her and the Onmyoji," Kimiko said.

"Feel free to tell us if you are coming again," Aoi said with a cheerful smile. Ryuuji raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but shook his thoughts away.

"Will do, so bye for now," Ryuuji said, escorted by Yui to the exit.

"So was that the Kyouga Kimiko that Yura kept telling us about?" Ryuuji asked Yui, who knew full well the events that had just transpired and the impact of the information they had discovered.

"Hai, but she has changed this past year, and not even the Chimimouryo no Nushi, Nura Rikuo-sama, knows that she is still alive. Please keep it this way, Keikain Ryuuji-san," the miko said with a small bow of respect. Raising another eyebrow, Ryuuji nodded, walking away with Mamiru in tow.

00O00

"What the heck is this?" Kimiko shrieked. She found a large stuffed dog in her room, with a small box in its hand. Aoi entered slyly, grinning.

"This was supposed to be your present from me (gesturing to the white stuffed dog), and the necklace was from Keiichi to congratulate your having your own clan. I figured I'd get you a stuffed one since Yui-san wouldn't be too keen if you had a real dog," she explained.

Kimiko opened the delicate jewelry box, finding a crescent moon with a sakura blossom in the center made into a silver pendant, hanging from a silver chain.

"It's beautiful…" she couldn't help but mutter.

"I know, right?" Aoi smirked. She helped put on the necklace on Kimiko as the former tucked it in her kimono. "On a different matter…how did you find me earlier when the onmyoji attacked?"

"Ah-un led me straight to you," Kimiko said softly, then embracing her "sister," "I told you that I'd always protect you right?"

00O00

AN: Ah...another chapter edited and published. Please share your thoughts in the reviews as to this introduction of a new possible antagonist for our characters...:)


	6. The Exchange Experiment

**VI. What Time Has Changed**

00O00

Night came and as usual, Rikuo switched forms, assuming his more recessive personality. He returned his homework to his bag (what I'd give to see Night Rikuo stressing over homework!) and opened the window, deciding on whether or not to take that particular way out.

Sighing softly, he took a step outside, and moved the other foot as well. He ended up landing on soft green grass. He opened an eye, taking one last look at the house before leaving.

Fifteen minutes later, a cheerful yuki-onna barged into his room with news from the main house.

"Rikuo-sama!" Tsurara said happily as she entered, only to realize that her master was not in the room. "Eh? Where are you?"

00O00

Rikuo walked through the streets unnoticed; wanting to get a feel of the town he would be staying in for the rest of the school year. He could sense a few yokai wandering around, but as long as they did not harm any humans, he did not engage them at all.

A sudden scream pierced his ears. He opened his eyes and gazed to where it had originated. Jumping on a nearby roof to see better, he caught a glimpse of a human-looking boy dragging a teenage girl into a dark alleyway. They were on the other side of a crowd of humans buying and selling things so there would be a hard time getting to them.

But from the corner of his eye, he saw another teenage girl, dressed in the same school clothes as the first one, rushing towards her, obviously in a great hurry.

"Hanako-san!" he heard her say. He would watch if she could save her friend, but if not, he would interfere, he decided.

Watching from the rooftop, he saw the three disappeared into the darkness of the secluded area. By the time he got close enough for a good look, he found the first girl all alone by herself. Sobbing quite loudly, he decided to approach her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulders. She looked up, obviously startled but something in his eyes reassured her that she would not be harmed.

"Hi-Higurashi-san, she's gone…" she murmured. _She couldn't be dead_, he thought. "She just came in here and he said something like 'I've been waiting for you, hime-miko.'"

"Hime-miko?" Rikuo asked in turn. But she would no longer reply, crying softly to herself. He felt fear all over the place. Whoever took the other girl was a yokai, and apparently, he was strong enough to prey on priestesses.

He dashed away, trying to look for where he had taken the girl. He could hear sounds from the rooftop above. Within seconds, he had gotten there, only to find a huge cloud of miasma surrounding the two.

"Your spiritual powers cannot purify this miasma…I have once eaten the ikigimo of a priestess like yourself, therefore, I am immune to your powers."

If he was immune to her powers, then she would be in big trouble. Rikuo took a step inside, making sure to be cloaked by his Meikyo Shisui, becoming undetectable by both the miko and the yokai.

He found the girl, now wearing the robes of a priestess, yet bound to the wall behind her with strings interlaced with fear. The yokai had shown his true form, a tall oni-like figure with black skin.

But Rikuo didn't care about the yokai. It was the girl who intrigued him. Her pale skin, and her long black hair, with neatly trimmed bangs brushing over her eyes, they reminded him of someone else he knew.

"But you're a pretty one. I'll play with you first before I devour your liver," the yokai murmured, interrupting his thoughts. He leaned closer to the girl, placing a clawed finger on her cheek. Rikuo saw her lips move, but he couldn't hear a sound.

"'Don't touch me' you say? Sorry Miko-chan, but you don't have a say in what I do to ya," he snickered. He removed his hand anyways, but brought it back to rip off part of her robes. Rikuo winced; he had an inkling of the humiliation she must've felt.

"You can't do anything about it. You can't use your petty little bow, or your seals and charms because they won't work. So I want to hear you scream for help, knowing that no one will come save you," he said smugly. Rikuo edged closer, determined to give him a lesson he wouldn't forget.

But as he did, he heard the softest words from the priestess.

"Get your…filthy hands…of me," she whispered. Right then and there, he drove his Nenekirimaru into the yokai's torso, slicing him in half. He materialized in front of the priestess, recognizing the chocolate brown eyes and her face. Unable to contain his shock, he sliced off her bonds in a hurry, turning away in the process. He looked away, comparing the image of her to the one who had died in his arms so long ago.

"Impossible," he whispered.

"Ayakashi," he heard her whisper with some level of alertness. He heard the rustle of cloth. She must've fixed her kimono. He sighed, taking a few steps back to where he was supposed to be.

"Ayakashi-san," he heard her call again. He stopped in his tracks and turned his head towards her. "I just wanted you to know that I am grateful for your help…"

She sounded a bit unsure, as if trying to get over the fact that a miko such as her was saved by an ayakashi. Much like someone else he knew of. _Kimiko_, the thought of her name made him smile a bit. But he remembered the sad fact that she was dead.

"If there is anything I can do for you, as long as it is within my ability, I am willing to do so, to express my gratitude."

Rikuo sighed. The similarity was too much for a coincidence. Yet he was surprised that she did not recognize him…at least, not yet.

Before she could say another word, she found herself against the wall once more. This time, it was one of his hands trapping her on one side, and the rest of him on the other.

She looked above and met with his crimson gaze and gasped audibly.

Rikuo analyzed her carefully. It was her alright, the priestess who once confessed her love to him in her dying breath. She smelled the same and looked exactly the same as her, except she wore her hair slightly differently. Taking a strand of her hair in his fingers, he smirked.

"Perhaps another time, Miko," he whispered then he released her, walking away like nothing happened. He could almost imagine her face blushing and her mind boggled.

He smirked to himself. There would be a lot to report to Tsurara and the rest later or maybe not. He disappeared in black flames, leaving the priestess alone.

00O00

Byakuren Academy was one of the best schools Rikuo had ever attended. That is, asides from his original school. The teachers were kind and never shied away from the students' questions. He could sense a similar atmosphere to his Hyakki Yakko…when they were being tolerable.

As he sat in his seat, thinking over the day's events (and last night's), he heard some sounds from outside his classroom. A few gasps and murmurs and the door was thrown open. A girl with long black hair and chocolate eyes went to the front of the room and scanned the faces of the remaining people in the room.

"Nura Rikuo?" she asked, approaching him. He could feel his face heating up. It was the girl from last night, the priestess that he saved. So she was from Byakuren Academy as well.

"My name is Higurashi Kimiko. I am the vice president of Byakuren Academy's student council."

00O00

AN:


	7. What Time has changed

**VI. What Time Has Changed**

00O00

Night came and as usual, Rikuo switched forms, assuming his more recessive personality. He returned his homework to his bag (what I'd give to see Night Rikuo stressing over homework!) and opened the window, deciding on whether or not to take that particular way out.

Sighing softly, he took a step outside, and moved the other foot as well. He ended up landing on soft green grass. He opened an eye, taking one last look at the house before leaving.

Fifteen minutes later, a cheerful yuki-onna barged into his room with news from the main house.

"Rikuo-sama!" Tsurara said happily as she entered, only to realize that her master was not in the room. "Eh? Where are you?"

00O00

Rikuo walked through the streets unnoticed; wanting to get a feel of the town he would be staying in for the rest of the school year. He could sense a few yokai wandering around, but as long as they did not harm any humans, he did not engage them at all.

A sudden scream pierced his ears. He opened his eyes and gazed to where it had originated. Jumping on a nearby roof to see better, he caught a glimpse of a human-looking boy dragging a teenage girl into a dark alleyway. They were on the other side of a crowd of humans buying and selling things so there would be a hard time getting to them.

But from the corner of his eye, he saw another teenage girl, dressed in the same school clothes as the first one, rushing towards her, obviously in a great hurry.

"Hanako-san!" he heard her say. He would watch if she could save her friend, but if not, he would interfere, he decided.

Watching from the rooftop, he saw the three disappeared into the darkness of the secluded area. By the time he got close enough for a good look, he found the first girl all alone by herself. Sobbing quite loudly, he decided to approach her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulders. She looked up, obviously startled but something in his eyes reassured her that she would not be harmed.

"Hi-Higurashi-san, she's gone…" she murmured. _She couldn't be dead_, he thought. "She just came in here and he said something like 'I've been waiting for you, hime-miko.'"

"Hime-miko?" Rikuo asked in turn. But she would no longer reply, crying softly to herself. He felt fear all over the place. Whoever took the other girl was a yokai, and apparently, he was strong enough to prey on priestesses.

He dashed away, trying to look for where he had taken the girl. He could hear sounds from the rooftop above. Within seconds, he had gotten there, only to find a huge cloud of miasma surrounding the two.

"Your spiritual powers cannot purify this miasma…I have once eaten the ikigimo of a priestess like yourself, therefore, I am immune to your powers."

If he was immune to her powers, then she would be in big trouble. Rikuo took a step inside, making sure to be cloaked by his Meikyo Shisui, becoming undetectable by both the miko and the yokai.

He found the girl, now wearing the robes of a priestess, yet bound to the wall behind her with strings interlaced with fear. The yokai had shown his true form, a tall oni-like figure with black skin.

But Rikuo didn't care about the yokai. It was the girl who intrigued him. Her pale skin, and her long black hair, with neatly trimmed bangs brushing over her eyes, they reminded him of someone else he knew.

"But you're a pretty one. I'll play with you first before I devour your liver," the yokai murmured, interrupting his thoughts. He leaned closer to the girl, placing a clawed finger on her cheek. Rikuo saw her lips move, but he couldn't hear a sound.

"'Don't touch me' you say? Sorry Miko-chan, but you don't have a say in what I do to ya," he snickered. He removed his hand anyways, but brought it back to rip off part of her robes. Rikuo winced; he had an inkling of the humiliation she must've felt.

"You can't do anything about it. You can't use your petty little bow, or your seals and charms because they won't work. So I want to hear you scream for help, knowing that no one will come save you," he said smugly. Rikuo edged closer, determined to give him a lesson he wouldn't forget.

But as he did, he heard the softest words from the priestess.

"Get your…filthy hands…of me," she whispered. Right then and there, he drove his Nenekirimaru into the yokai's torso, slicing him in half. He materialized in front of the priestess, recognizing the chocolate brown eyes and her face. Unable to contain his shock, he sliced off her bonds in a hurry, turning away in the process. He looked away, comparing the image of her to the one who had died in his arms so long ago.

"Impossible," he whispered.

"Ayakashi," he heard her whisper with some level of alertness. He heard the rustle of cloth. She must've fixed her kimono. He sighed, taking a few steps back to where he was supposed to be.

"Ayakashi-san," he heard her call again. He stopped in his tracks and turned his head towards her. "I just wanted you to know that I am grateful for your help…"

She sounded a bit unsure, as if trying to get over the fact that a miko such as her was saved by an ayakashi. Much like someone else he knew of. _Kimiko_, the thought of her name made him smile a bit. But he remembered the sad fact that she was dead.

"If there is anything I can do for you, as long as it is within my ability, I am willing to do so, to express my gratitude."

Rikuo sighed. The similarity was too much for a coincidence. Yet he was surprised that she did not recognize him…at least, not yet.

Before she could say another word, she found herself against the wall once more. This time, it was one of his hands trapping her on one side, and the rest of him on the other.

She looked above and met with his crimson gaze and gasped audibly.

Rikuo analyzed her carefully. It was her alright, the priestess who once confessed her love to him in her dying breath. She smelled the same and looked exactly the same as her, except she wore her hair slightly differently. Taking a strand of her hair in his fingers, he smirked.

"Perhaps another time, Miko," he whispered then he released her, walking away like nothing happened. He could almost imagine her face blushing and her mind boggled.

He smirked to himself. There would be a lot to report to Tsurara and the rest later or maybe not. He disappeared in black flames, leaving the priestess alone.

00O00

Byakuren Academy was one of the best schools Rikuo had ever attended. That is, asides from his original school. The teachers were kind and never shied away from the students' questions. He could sense a similar atmosphere to his Hyakki Yakko…when they were being tolerable.

As he sat in his seat, thinking over the day's events (and last night's), he heard some sounds from outside his classroom. A few gasps and murmurs and the door was thrown open. A girl with long black hair and chocolate eyes went to the front of the room and scanned the faces of the remaining people in the room.

"Nura Rikuo?" she asked, approaching him. He could feel his face heating up. It was the girl from last night, the priestess that he saved. So she was from Byakuren Academy as well.

"My name is Higurashi Kimiko. I am the vice president of Byakuren Academy's student council."

00O00


	8. The Girl she thought had died

**VII. The Girl she thought had died**

**Yura~**

It had only been a few days since we had gotten used to our new daily routines here and yet, I felt as if there was still more to come.

As an onmyoji, that was only natural, seeing as different things could unbalance our plans and schedules.

For example, there was that time when the Kyoto yokai had finally broken through the Thirteenth Heir's seals. Hidemoto was a genius, but he only expected his seals to last for four hundred years. That is a story from a long ago back when I had just begun to take over my clan.

I forgot to mention that I am currently the Twenty-eighth head of the Keikain clan. Although Akifusa-niichan had acted as head for the first year, he had forced me to start learning jutsu and other techniques in order for me to be ready when the time came for me to finally take over.

It was only last year when I really succeeded Jiichan as Head of the Keikain. There were people against me taking over at such a young age, and many who were against me for being a girl and taking over such an important family.

Anyways, Nura-kun helped a lot by giving support to me with his influence as the Chimimouryo no Nushi, or Lord of Pandemonium, who is the leader of the ayakashi world. Oddly enough so, because we onmyoji never got this kind of push from them.

After finishing most of my studies in onmyodo, I announced to Akifusa-niichan, Ryuuji-niichan, and to Mamiru-kun that I would like to continue my human studies in school back at Ukiyoe. Of course, Ryuuji-niichan stated that my attachment to the ayakashi and yokai was influencing me.

True, Nura-kun had called a few times, saying that everyone was missing me, but that wasn't my main reason. Like him, I finally understood why having at least part of a normal human lifestyle was important. It helped keep me sane throughout all the expectations from other people and my own duties.

And so, there I was an exchange student in Byakuren Academy, where I was hoping to relax a bit. Akifusa-niichan and Ryuuji-niichan agreed to take care of the family matters while I was away. Ryuuji-niichan was helping mainly because Akifusa-niichan couldn't handle all that stress by himself.

Kana-chan has been really helpful, telling me what kind of clothes I should wear and even lending me some of her own. But it was mostly Nura-kun who helped me fit in with the rest of the "normal" humans. Kiyotsugu, despite being ordinary, was still obsessed with the yokai world, even though I and Nura-kun keep warning him to stay away from it.

However many surprises awaited us as soon as we arrived in town. First of all, we got in touch with an old friend, Kuroichi-san, who had changed a bit since last year, partly because of the death of his best friend who was also a close friend of mine, Kyouga Kimiko. Anyways, his clan lent us a mansion to stay in for our time here.

Then, there was our first day in school. I ended up in the same class as Kana-chan and Kiyotsugu-kun. We were in II-1, second year, class 1. The rest were either in II-2 and II-3. The first day was interesting: we got to meet new teachers, we got to know our classmates, and we had to get used to the new school system.

But the most interesting part was after school.

I heard from our homeroom teacher that one of our classmates was absent for most of the day. Her name was Higurashi Kimiko. Although the name sounded familiar, I was too occupied with memorizing the rest of my classmates' names to really care.

A lot of the girls told me that Higurashi-san was the vice president of the student council. They told me that she was also very pretty and a lot of boys liked her. That would explain why so many boys seemed down when they heard the news of her absence.

I figured that she would be the kind of person who was just elected because they were popular and not because they can do the job they're assigned.

I had a few doubts when all of a sudden, I passed by a school certificate and trophy on display and one or two of the students who came by told me of how hard the student council worked to achieve it, all with the help of their vice president.

Right after lunch time, as we got back to our classrooms, I heard a knock at the door. Everyone turned to see who it was, and lo and behold, the reputed girl came in.

I felt nostalgic as she entered, dropping a heavy textbook on the floor. Feeling pity, I approached her as she gathered her things. Placing the textbook in her surprisingly slender yet roughened fingers, I looked up to find familiar chocolate eyes and a gentle face framed by neatly trimmed bangs.

I could barely contain my shock as the face of Kyouga Kimiko was staring back at me with a kind smile.

"Thank you so much. You must be one of the new exchange students," she said, smiling warmly. "My name is Higurashi Kimiko; it's nice to meet you."

"Yo-you're welcome, um, Higurashi-san. I'm Keikain Yura, it's nice to meet you too," I managed to stutter.

She sat next to me, having a bit of trouble with algebra. But the entire time, I felt confusion because of something else and had been asking myself if it was possible.

Although I did not participate in the battle (I had problems of my own back in Kyoto), Nura-kun told me that she had died, and in his arms even. If it was in fact Kimiko-chan, then Nura-kun would be really glad that she was alive. This Higurashi Kimiko also had a bit of trouble with Algebra, much like Kyouga Kimiko.

00O00

"Keikain hmm?" she asked me while we headed towards our last class. "That's the last name of one of the most celebrated families who practice onmyodo. You wouldn't happen to be the current heir, Keikain Yura right?"

"It seems like I have a confession to make," I said with a small smile. "But how would you know about the Keikain?"

She shrugged. "Asides from the common talk of onmyoji, yokai, and ayakashi here in town, I have a small interest in the onmyo arts as well."

I glanced at her wrist, asides from having a watch on her left hand she also had a silver bracelet with a bow and arrow charm. A miko, I figured, just like Kyouga Kimiko. I was beginning to sense an impostor, or a really good look alike.

"I have a feeling that you're a priestess," I murmured, "partially because you have a strong spiritual aura and that you wear a silver bow charm on your bracelet."

"As expected from the heir of the Keikain, you really are sharp," she mused, smiling to herself. Then she looked at me and sighed, trying to sort her thoughts out.

"Call me Yura-chan, and I'll keep your secret as long as you keep mine," I said. She nodded and smiled widely, shaking my hand.

"Then you can call me Kimiko-chan as well," she said softly.

00O00

AN: So what do you think of Kimiko's and Yura's reunion? I wonder if anyone has updated four chapters in one day?


	9. A Second Encounter

**VIII. A Second Encounter**

~Yura~

That night, when we had gotten home, I noticed that Nura-kun was acting strangely again. He was walking slowly, falling behind the rest of us as we went inside the house.

"Something wrong Rikuo-kun?" Kana-chan asked before I had gotten the chance to. So, I went on ahead of them, walking towards the kitchen. School activities were pretty tiring, so I took a snack, some leftover onigiri from the previous night.

After dropping my school bag on the floor of the room, I proceeded to drag out my futon, fixing it so that I wouldn't have to later, when I was already sleepy. Kana-chan came in, looking mysteriously troubled.

"Something wrong Kana-chan?" No reply. "What happened with Nura-kun?"

"He wouldn't talk to me," she replied darkly. I recalled the day she told me that she was in love with him. Shaking my head, I pointed an accusing finger at her.

"Seriously?! You're gonna act like that just because he doesn't want to tell you what's bothering him?! Kana-chan, get a hold of yourself! Don't let the way Nura-kun treats you get in the way of your happiness!" I lectured her. She seemed shocked, and I realized that she had pressed herself against the wall, looking at me, pale-faced.

"Eh, Yura-chan…"

"Don't 'Yura-chan' me! Didn't I warn you last time as well?" I told her angrily as I sat on my futon, crossing my arms. She got up, scratching her head awkwardly and looked around twice before taking a step towards the door. She looked at the ground and all of a sudden, her expression turned dark.

"Yura-chan…what did I tell you about eating in the room?" she said slowly, turning towards me with her hair flying in all directions, as she exuded a dark aura. "If you're gonna eat, then do it outside!" she shouted, pushing me outside the door.

Mildly affected, I walked around, instead, figuring out what to do since I was already done with homework. Seeing that she didn't tell me what was wrong with Nura-kun, I went to find him instead.

I knocked on his bedroom door, but apparently he wasn't inside. As I was about to look for the yuki-onna, I noticed the silhouette of a person across the shoji doors. I figured that it was him, sitting on the window sill, watching the sunset. I felt the presence of a stronger fear, and his hair extended, and his figure grew taller.

He got up, and his silhouette began to disappear. I threw open the doors, intending to berate him on how his mood was affecting everyone, but there was no one inside.

"Huh? I thought you were in here…" I muttered. Then I went towards the window, watching as the shadow of a yokai darted past the bushes in the garden. "Rikuo..." I muttered, summoning Tanro to help me follow him. I fully intended to know what he was hiding from the rest of us.

00O00

As expected, it was a lot harder for me to follow Nura-kun as I had thought. Often, I would lose sight of him for a few minutes, then Tanro would pick up his scent again, and we'd be back on track.

Unexpectedly, I found him darting to and fro from dark alleys, looking for something. When I finally thought that he was trying to lead us on a wild goose chase, he stopped in front of another alley no different from the ones he passed by earlier.

"Ah…now I remember," I heard him say, and slowly, he dissipated from sight. The next place I found him was on the roof of the building beside the alley. There were dark marks on the floor, and oddly, he just stood there waiting and looking.

I waited in the shadows of the adjacent building, seeing what he would do. After I finally gave up on waiting and was about to interrupt him, the door leading to the rooftop opened on the other building. A girl with long black hair and dressed in a miko's outfit came up, not noticing Nura-kun's presence.

She studied the marks just as he did earlier. Suddenly, I felt his fear fluctuate, he appeared in front of the girl.

"I thought that if I continued waiting here, our paths would cross once more, Miko-chan," I heard him say. I stopped myself from suddenly screaming as an arrow pierced the wall beside him. For a moment, he didn't move. I began to worry, seeing that the arrows that miko fire emit a powerful spiritual aura that allow them to purify countless yokai with one strike. After that shock, I realized that the two have met before.

Instead, he turned around and grabbed the arrow with his bare hands. As expected from Nura-kun, he was unfazed by anything that could hurt yokai!

"Most yokai are afraid of even getting within my sight…how can you touch one of my sacred arrows without getting purified?" the miko asked him. I blinked twice. I knew that voice.

"_You…you can call me Kimiko-chan as well…"_

So it was Higurashi Kimiko! Oh boy was she in for quite a surprise!

But wait…I know that she is a miko and she knows that I am an onmyoji, but she doesn't know that Nura-kun is the Lord of Pandemonium, yet he knows that she is a miko.

So both of us know that she is a miko but she doesn't know that he is the lord of the night and that I know him (despite my being an onmyoji).

Now it was really a confusing circle. Perhaps it would be better if she didn't find out…

As I watched, I observed the interactions between the two. Nura-kun was inconspicuously flirting with her, while she, as dense as she was (or was really in good control of her emotions), investigated the area (where they met before).

"So why did you come back to this place? Knowing what happened here…"

"I could very well ask you the same thing," she replied nonchalantly.

"I already told you," he said with a smirk, "I wanted to see you again."

"I came back to see if that yokai left any traces," she replied, shooting down his comment. I felt like laughing at Nura-kun's failed attempts.

"How come? Is there a bigger picture?" Nura-kun said, sipping sake from his gigantic sake cup all of a sudden. Where he got it was a mystery to me.

"You're a newcomer here, aren't you? That's why you wouldn't know about the things that happen here."

"Enlighten me, Miko-chan." She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. With a sigh, she began to explain things.

"The Kyouga Syndicate (another way of calling the yakuza gangs) covers a wide territory. They have a smaller subgroup here in Kamasai, called the Azai Clan, who in turn keeps this area peaceful by minimizing certain 'interactions' between ningen and yokai. There was another clan here originally, and under their strings, things here were pretty bad, and no one was safe, not even yokai within their clan."

"And how would you, a miko, know of such things?" he asked, opening an eye.

"It is my duty…as a miko…to make sure that the yokai do not harm humans. And occasionally…I um, 'assist' the Azai Clan in these affairs. No one is perfect, and even with a powerful clan behind them, they cannot track down all of the crimes that go on here."

"By 'assist', do you mean that you work with them closely?"

"I bump into them sometimes…" she admitted softly, rising from her position.

"Tell me, what is the name of the clan who once occupied this area?"

"Kage…the Kage Syndicate"

"Thank you so much for your time, Miko-chan. And speaking of thanks, I think I'll come collect my reward from last night's events sometime soon." She bit her lip as he began to walk away, perhaps debating something in her head.

"What kind of yokai are you?" she asked, suddenly stopping him. He turned around, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Hmm? Ah, I'm known by the name of Nurarihyon…"

"Nurarihyon? That's why I couldn't find you once you had disappeared…" she murmured with a satisfied sigh. "As slippery as an eel…" she added with a small smile at the joke.

"Right," Rikuo said with a small smile.

"Also meaning evasive, noncommittal, and lazy," she added with a flourish of her hand. Rikuo sweat-dropped; that description didn't really capture who he was. "No wonder I couldn't find traces of you…"

"Ah…you wanted to find me?" he asked, interested all of a sudden. She walked towards him cautiously. I began to wonder what was going to happen.

"Itai!" I heard Rikuo exclaim. I watched as he bent down to caress his shin.

"That was for pinning me up the wall!" she said angrily. Now I was really wondering what had happened the previous night. He pinned her up the wall?

"Correction, I pushed you up against the wall," he smirked as she had disappeared down the stairs. Wait now…he pushed her against the what?

That pervert! (Although he really wasn't one…or was he?) I sighed, preparing to summon Tanro once more. That yokai Rikuo was still confusing.

"So you stayed the entire time?" I heard the same voice, except closer. I turned my back against the nurarihyon.

"You knew I was here the entire time, didn't you?" I accused him.

"No one gets past me," he replied smugly. I was beginning to miss the more HUMAN part of him. "Kana-chan is worried…isn't she?"

"And I find out that you've been keeping Kimiko-chan a secret from all of us! Why isn't she dead like you told us?"

"I didn't know as well until last night…and you didn't have to follow me…I would probably have told you if you asked," he replied softly.

"Yeah, in the morning when your day side is so secretive, being embarrassed about what he's been doing at night? I don't think so…" I was met with silence. I guessed he felt guilty for making all of us worry.

"Tell Kana-chan I'm sorry," he whispered, slowly disappearing from my sight.

"She's not the only one you should be saying sorry to," I murmur, getting on Tanro's back. But Kana-chan shouldn't know about this…

00O00

AN:Here's the next chapter. Thank you to all those who have recently favorited or followed this story! I give you thanks from the Mariana Trench of my heart (The Mariana trench is the deepest place of the ocean known to man). This chapter was a fun one to write. I enjoyed having Yura guess at the events hinted at by Rikuo, and Kimiko's selective attentiveness...:)

I just love the dramatic irony here (you happy now Mr. Dana?!) and I hope that this particular plot element will serve me more useful purposes in the chapters in the next chappies.

Please excuse my comments on my particularly eccentric language arts teacher, Mr. Dana. I should be kinder since he is giving me all that free time to watch my classmates suffer under his torturous- whoops! wrong adjective...-well, instructive means of teaching.

See ya next time!


	10. Matters of the Heart

**IX. Matters of the Heart**

**~Kimiko~**

Early in the morning, clashes of metal rang around the Azai Manor, a sign that most of its occupants were already awake.

Slowly, I walked around in a circle, facing Yui in a deadly dance. She feinted to one side and I blocked it with one blade, so she proceeded to attack from the other side, seemingly ignoring the fact that I was wielding twin blades, one in each hand.

It was something I had recently accomplished, and found that I was quite good at it. My primary weapon had always been either the bow or the sword, yet now, I had modified Kougetsu (my all-time-favorite sword) and had it reforged into two blades of equal length. Of course, Otousan gave me a couple of his fangs for the job, making my blades a lot stronger and more capable of destroying ayakashi and yokai.

Kougetsu's original form was that of a three and a half feet long katana. The blade was black because of its yokai nature and its handle was made of similar black steel, crisscrossed with black leather. Its guard was a simple, being a hollow circle attached to the blade through crescent-shaped designs.

Now I had reforged the blade into a couple of 2.75 feet long wakizashi, also known as the secondary weapons of samurai usually worn with the katana.

Instead of being black-bladed, it now had two feet long silver-white blades accompanied by three-fourths of a foot long handles. The hand guards of each wakizashi were the same as the original, except forged with the silver-white metal used for the blade. Its handles were crisscrossed with black and pink leather, hoping that it would make it look slightly more feminine.

However, once Miyoga was ready to spill where Totosai-jiisama was hiding, I would have him re-forge my blades to make them stronger.

Yui herself held a formidable weapon, a naginata tall as herself with a wicked blade that I had to prevent from reaching me, or else she would mercilessly tear my dress.

Speaking of my melee partner, she was wearing similar clothes as I was: black hakama and pink kosode, with our sleeves tied back.

In honor of my annoyance, she wore her hair in two pigtails, knowing that its childishness would irritate the hell out of me. I sported the easier hairstyle, with my long black hair in a high ponytail.

I was the only one wearing wrist guards, to compensate for a lack of armor which she didn't need with a large weapon with an equally large reach.

"Yui…" I growled, eyeing my almost torn shirt as she brushed the dust off her otherwise untouched hitoe.

I begun the attack, charging forward without my blades drawn, and in a split second, bent backwards as her naginata came swinging my way. As I was down, I unsheathed one of my blades, finally getting a cut on her sleeve.

00O00

Easy to say, at the end of it all, that I was the one who had the most cuts and bruises. I sighed as I painfully sat on my desk at school, flipping the pages of Yui's notebook, which she used to keep notes as the secretary of the student council.

"As I said before the match, whoever gets the most cuts gets to treat the other to ice cream!" she said as she slid into the seat next to mine, watching me read, or more specifically, reread, the notes that she gave to me.

"With the annual school production coming, we better start casting the roles for the characters," I muttered, eyeing the most recent meeting we had. Yui sighed. She knew that I was in business mode.

"I'll have to talk to the class representatives about that…we need to start casting people."

In Byakuren Academy, school plays were a product of the hard work of the student council and respective people that they ask to play for them. This year, Itsuki Katashi-san, our president, had assigned different people in the student council to play different roles.

And, as another example of his personality (which honestly isn't as good as you may think), he placed himself as head of the costume department, leaving the jobs of directing to me and the stage design to Yui. Yup, great president…

We were also in charge of casting, as the rest of the student council had been divided up to their respective departments.

This year's school production was another one when a prince of a foreign land rescues a princess who was targeted for assassination. In the end they both get married and have a happy ever after.

Yui and Itsuki-kaichou had finished the script a long time ago, and I had just finished making sure that it was appropriate.

"I'll have the list posted up by tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll have the class reps explain to their classes about how the school's play works. I'm sure those exchange students aren't used to our style of doing things," Yui said as she left the room.

"Ah wait," I called, stopping her as she took one step out of the door. "The Headmaster said something about another new student coming in. Ask Katashi-I mean, Itsuki-kaichou to get more info on that." Nodding softly, she exited the room.

Yura-chan came in next, taking Yui's place beside me as she faced me.

"Do you have something you need to say to me, Yura-chan?" I asked her, my tone making me sound like a much more busy person than I was.

"I think I do…why did you come to school late yesterday?" she asked, sounding awfully suspicious.

I froze. I had no idea what to reply. I couldn't just tell her out of the blue that I had been sleeping late because the night before yesterday, I had one fatiguing encounter to another.

First was Hanako-chan being taken by a yokai, then that said annoying yokai who had to be impervious to my attacks as a miko, then that Ayakashi-san with the horribly…haunting crimson eyes (wait, did I say crimson?).

Then I had another meeting with Yui last night concerning the Kage Syndicate. I ended up sleeping in, with no one waking me up for school all because they were concerned about my health.

"I had slept late, preparing for school activities the previous night," I explained as I scratched my head awkwardly.

"Are you sure it had nothing to do with yokai?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"As I said, I have my duties as the vice president of the student council, and goodness knows that it can be more trying than yokai."

She sighed in reply and turned to the board as the teacher walked in, beginning her lecture.

"So much for inconspicuousness…" I muttered, beginning my own set of notes for the day.

00O00

"Alright then, attendance check," I began, and turned to Itsuki-kaichou, who nodded. The student council meetings always began like this.

"Itsuki Katashi-kaichou?"

"I'm here," he replied, crossing his arms.

"Higurashi Kimiko-fuku-kaichou," I called, "I'm here as well."

"Secretary Hanasaki Yui?"

"Here," came the abrupt answer.

"Treasurer Suoh Misaki?"

"Here," she called, with her accounting book. She was a diligent student from II-2, and I admired her for her hard work.

"Historian Aizawa Jun?"

"Right here," he said with a sly smile. I scoffed internally, he was a self-proclaimed ladies man, who in my opinion, was a low-life pervert.

"Okay, Class I-1 representative, Kimio Hayate?"

"Here…"

A few more people from the first years and then I reached the second year.

"Class II-1 rep?"

"Here,"

"Class II-2 rep?" I asked again, scanning the group of students. No one answered. "Nura Rikuo?" I asked once more. I turned to those who were in II-2.

"Where is he?" I asked, almost angrily. If there were people I hated more than perverts, it was those who do not take their assignments seriously.

I spent the rest of the meeting fuming, wondering what I would do to that boy when I got my hands on him. I looked at Yui's notes and asked that she make a photocopy of this week's meeting for me. Despite my irritation at his not coming, I wouldn't make him miss out on what had happened.

00O00


	11. Ayakashi-san or Ayakashi-sama?

**X. Ayakashi-san or Ayakashi-sama?**

**~Kimiko~**

I walked into Class II-2, expecting to find him. Instead, a blue-black haired girl and a brunette were talking to each other, deeply engrossed.

"Umm…excuse me, but do any of you know where Nura Rikuo is?" I asked politely. The one with light blue and black hair turned to face me. She had the coldest blue eyes I had ever seen. I blinked twice, to make sure that she wasn't glaring at me.

"Ah, he's at the soccer field. He was asked to come by Shima-kun," the brunette said, turning to me with a soft smile. I recognized her to be in my class.

"Thank you…Ienaga Kana, was it?" I said. She nodded, and I headed to the soccer field, determined to make sure that he would pay.

When I got close enough to the field, I sighed, knowing that my long walk would pay off. Besides, Nura-san should know what it means to be part of the student council.

I caught a glimpse of the guy wearing the goal keeper's uniform. What the heck was he doing playing soccer now?

As I approached, I heard someone shout from the other end of the court, but I continued on, not exactly hearing what he said.

"Watch out!" And as soon as I turned towards the boys playing, a shadow blocked out the sun, and as I realized what was going to happen, someone pushed me out of the way, and ended up landing on top of me. The pain of being knocked over was bad, but it was better than being hit on the head with a soccer ball.

I felt a bit nostalgic as I heard an apology. The boy got up and I used a hand to block the sun's light, I recognized him as Nura Rikuo.

"Ah…itai!" he suddenly gasped. I looked down at his foot and I realized that his ankle had twisted seeing that he had lunged from the goal post, his foot got tangled in the net and yet he managed to knock me over.

"You're hurt," I murmured. Everyone else came over to our side, and the boys offered to bring him to the nurse room. I followed them, seeing that I had been part of the cause.

00O00

The boys went back to their playing outside as I watched over Nura Rikuo, who sat still, watching his newly set and bandaged foot. I felt less angry at him, though I was still annoyed.

"Nura-san," I began, cautiously touching his leg in a comforting manner. He winced, and I looked up at him, confused.

"Is your shin alright?" I asked him worriedly.

"Uh…it's okay," he told me with a pained smile. Carefully, I rolled down his long socks and saw that it was swelling purple. Horrified, I looked at him, and he turned away, somehow feeling guilty for not saying anything.

"It's bruised and swelling," I said, trying not to panic. I looked behind the screen for the nurse but she wasn't there. I sighed, knowing I would have to do things myself.

It wasn't that bad, but my intolerance for human weakness (especially mine) was acting up. He wasn't like my normal subordinates whom I occasionally performed first-aid on. He wouldn't heal as easily.

"This must be from yesterday, since it has only bruised today…" I murmured, grabbing the ice pack from the freezer nearby. As soon as I put it on his leg, he seemed to relax a bit more. "And you still played soccer today…" I added thoughtfully.

"Nura-san," I began, once I, myself, had relaxed as the swelling gradually reduced. He looked at me and smiled kindly. "I was wondering why you did not show up at the meeting today…"

"Was that why you were looking for me in the soccer field?" he asked. I nodded awkwardly, knowing that I caused his ankle to twist because I went there.

"One of my close friends, Shima Jiro-kun, had asked me to help him try-out for the school's soccer club. I couldn't say no…" So he was that type of person, the one who would do anything for a friend.

For once, I tried to look over what he didn't do and what he did instead. A friend won't always be there for you…I thought, remembering Mikoto.

"I kind of promised him before I was asked to become Class II-2's representative. I'm sorry about that," he said, sounding really apologetic. I couldn't help but sigh.

"It's alright…thank you…for saving me from that soccer ball," I added. Then I handed him the photocopied notes.

"What's this?" he asked.

"So you don't entirely miss out on the meeting," I said as I got up, heading for the door.

"Arigato, Kimiko-san," I heard before I left. I looked behind, and Nura Rikuo turned his head to me in askance.

"Is there anything wrong, Higurashi-fuku-kaichou?" he asked. Who was it that had called me by my first name?

00O00

Later that night, as I was studying in my room, I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I said. The doors opened and Yui came up, with ice cream in her hands. She placed one mug full of it on my table, and ate from another one in her hands. I bought the ice cream on the way home from school. That was another deduction from my allowance. Despite that, I managed to buy enough for everyone.

"You're sure you can finish that much?" I asked, eyeing the amounts of ice cream in each mug.

"This one's for you," she explained, pushing the mug on the table closer to me.

"I thought we weren't gonna eat in the room anymore?" I asked, remembering a time when I found ants in my futon.

"Only this once," she said with a smile.

"You guys finished all the chocolate chip ice cream!" said a familiar voice from downstairs. Irie came up, her dark hair brushing past her shoulders and her dark grey eyes twinkled softly, despite her being a kage-oni, a shadow demon, who manipulated the dark.

"I don't like chocolate, so I only have vanilla and green tea," I explained, holding up my mug.

"Why don't you have any chocolate?" she asked, settling down on the floor beside me.

"Haven't you heard? Chocolate is poison for dogs," Yui exclaimed, placing a whole spoonful of it in her mouth.

"Oh, so you can't eat it?" Irie asked me.

"It's not that I can't eat it…it tastes horrible in my mouth," I replied, stuffing her ice cream in her mouth with a smile.

"So…homework again?" she asked, once she had swallowed the bite.

"Yeah…sensei is merciless," I retorted, jotting down the answer. Trigonometric ratios were worse than a kitsune on a rampage.

"Speaking of which, can you help me with math homework later, Kimiko?" Yui asked. I glared at her.

"Don't fuss about it, I already asked sensei's help back at school," she said teasingly, stuffing another spoonful in her mouth.

"Fine, fine," I sighed. Looking at the clock, I groaned. I had three more essays for literature (something about how important _Genji Monogatari_ was as the forerunner of all novels) and an hour left before my "supposed" bedtime (which was barely followed with my recent patrols).

"Say, Kimiko-chan," Irie began.

"Yeah?" I asked, placing my algebra homework in my bag.

"You seem quite distracted recently…" Yui added, losing her cheerful charm. I looked confusedly at the both of them, raising an eyebrow in response.

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't been talking to us as much."

"Even this morning, when you were fighting me, I could sense that you had some other thoughts on your mind. Did something happen these past nights on your patrols?"

I knew I couldn't keep something as big as this from them. "There was a yokai the other night."

"This isn't your ordinary yokai right?" Irie asked.

"No…it must be or else Kimiko wouldn't be talking like this if it was."

"It was immune to my purification. My arrows and seals did not work on it."

"What?" Yui asked, shocked.

"I thought about releasing that seal," I muttered. There was a shadow across Yui's face, as if there was something else worrying her.

"But you didn't…you managed to come back here safely," Irie cut in. "Unless…someone helped you…" I stared at Yui, hoping she would get what I was trying to relay.

"Let me guess…it was an ayakashi," Yui stated. I nodded solemnly. "Describe. Now." she ordered.

"He was tall, had red eyes, long hair that protruded away from his head, charcoal-tipped silver hair-"

"Was wearing a black yukata which was loosely tied with a white obi and a blue haori with an unusual sword and ability," she finished, with light dawning in her eyes. Irie and I both looked at her with confusion. She looked at us and raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked.

"Do you happen to know the ayakashi?" I asked her. Or better yet, did she like him? "He was a nurarihyon," I added as an afterthought.

"He happens to be the Lord of Pandemonium," she whispered.

"So you do know him!" I exclaimed.

"Only by reputation," she managed to choke out with the sudden shoving of ice cream in her mouth. "Are you sure he was the one who saved you?" she asked with all seriousness.

"Yes…" I replied. For him to be of such a high status, yet come to save a miko such as myself…he was different from what I had imagined.

I always expected the Lord of Pandemonium to be someone who controlled all ayakashi businesses from the shadows, influencing even the highest in any clan, regardless of their allegiance to him.

Also, I pictured him to be someone who hated humans, let alone saving them was…unexpected.

00O00

Later that night, when I had finished all my homework and the two had gone back to sleep, I couldn't help but stay awake and stare at the ceiling. Ayakashi-san was actually Ayakashi-sama. And for him to treat me like I was his pet, perhaps he wasn't as different from what I had pictured him to be.

Yet at the same time, remembering those crimson eyes that had stared back at me for a period of time, there was a kind of sadness that I couldn't explain.

I took my PDA (personal digital assistant) from beside my bed. It was thin, sleek, and black, also, it was touch-screen (what isn't nowadays?). I had gathered notes on the ayakashi world and saved it in here. I opened my findings on the various ayakashi clans.

One especially powerful one that controlled Edo was the Nura Gumi, a clan who boasted the most powerful Hyakki Yakko in the world of the night.

Their current leader, the unnamed Sandaime, was of mixed descent, with a hanyo father and a human mother, similar to me. Was that why he took pity on me as a human?

He didn't know of my ancestry anyways, so he didn't know that the Azai Clan that I had claimed to be "assisting" was actually under my command.

Slowly, I closed my eyes, envisioning what it would be like to see him again. Then I drifted off into dreams…

00O00

"Kimiko…Kimiko!" I heard a voice. Deep, masculine, and somehow it rang like music to my ears. Ayakashi-sama? It had sounded very much like him.

Because I was indebted to him, our meeting again was inevitable. At least with my newfound knowledge, I would be able to face him on equal terms.

00O00

AN: So...how'd you like this chapter? Tell me your thoughts because I am dying to know! I don't get a lot of reviews so even one is absolutely important and precious to me because it offers insight from someone else other than me!

Sincerely yours,

Kiera Vincent :)


	12. Where the Past and Present collide

**XI. Where the Past and Present collide**

**~Rikuo/Kimiko~**

Cast List:

Princess Anna – Ienaga Kana

Prince Kyle – Nura Rikuo

Queen Alice – Keikain Yura

King Allan – Kimio Hayate

Prince Corin – Kiyotsugu

00O00

The list went on to say who was the stage manager, director, and such, but Rikuo was surprised enough to find his name as one of the main characters. He figured that someone in the student council knew about his connection to both Kana-chan and Keikain-san.

The one choice he approved of was of Kiyotsugu being the antagonist. Everyone would get a laugh at that, he thought with a smile.

"Is something pleasing, Sandaime?" said a voice he never thought he would hear at school.

He turned around to find Hanasaki Yui, the chocolate-haired priestess with the chocolate eyes who was always by Kimiko's side. She was wearing an expectant look, although she seemed suspicious.

"Ah, Yui-san, it's been a while since I last saw you," he said, not looking her in the eye. Even with his sudden mood change, he felt a little guilty, facing her.

"No one blames you…" she began with a lighter tone, "except her father, but let's not dwell on that." He looked up askance. "Listen, I know about your recent 'meetings' with her."

"And?" he asked, wanting to know if she was against his attempts to rebuild their relationship.

"Just don't get too close to her, it will be bad for all of us, if you know what I mean," she warned before walking away.

"I suppose you're right," he said with a sigh. Then his lips twitched into a smirk, "But that wouldn't stop me."

00O00

"Yui! I will thoroughly beat you up for making me bring all of these textbooks to the meeting room!" Kimiko muttered as she slowly made her way up the stairs to their second floor classroom.

All of a sudden, she stepped on something wet, resulting in her slipping. However, two strong hands caught her bridal-style and all the books clattered around the two, much to her surprise.

"Are you alright?" asked her savior. She looked up and found dark grey eyes staring worriedly at her. She felt her cheeks heat up and she used both her hands to push him away as she struggled to stand up by herself.

She brushed her skirt down worried that it could've crumpled up when he caught her. She looked up at him, getting a better look at his face. He had dark shadows under his eyes and he had scattered jet black hair framing his slightly pale face.

She could feel butterflies in her stomach, not unlike when she had stage-fright (let's face it speaking in front of hundreds of teenagers is scarier than battling yokai).

"I-I'm fine," she stuttered, bending down to gather the books. He did as well, and as she reached for the last one, a hand met hers, and she looked up at him, biting her lip as he smiled amusedly. They both straightened up, and Kimiko started shuffling her feet, unsure of what to say.

"So, where do you want me to bring these books?" he asked instead. She opened her mouth to say something, but found no words to say. Instead, she walked up the staircase, carefully this time, and went into the room, waiting for him to follow her.

She wasn't usually this impolite before, and now she was struggling to think of something to say.

"Ah, so here you are, Kimiko-chan. I see you've met Akito-kun," Yui said with a smile as the two entered the room.

"Akito-kun?" Kimiko asked then realization lit up her face. She turned around and addressed him. "Kageshima Akito-san? You must be the new student. It's nice to meet you, I'm Higurashi Kimiko. Thank you, for…um, helping me out…earlier," she explained.

"It wasn't a big deal," he replied, shrugging as he left the room. Then his head popped back in, "Actually, you can call me Akito, Higurashi-san."

"Yeah…sure," she replied softly, looking aside. Yui raised an eyebrow, eyeing the interaction between them.

00O00

"Have you seen the new student?"

"Kageshima Akito, I know."

"He's so hot, am I right?"

"I know! But he has this sort of mysterious atmosphere, like a haunting past or something like that."

"And he's also polite. He helped sensei earlier when she brought in the microscopes for Biology."

"And best of all, I heard that he's single!"

The girls in Kimiko's class erupted into squeals at the possibility of becoming his girlfriend. The only other two girls who didn't care about him (Yura and Kana), sat by a corner by themselves.

Kimiko sat by herself, looking outside the window while absent-mindedly turning the pages of her textbook, sighing softly. Then her fingers collided with the surface of her table. Surprised, she had found that she had run out of pages to turn. She sighed again, starting with a new textbook.

"Are you alright, Higurashi-san?" asked the brown-haired girl, Ienaga Kana. She looked concerned with the girl who was looking extremely bored.

"It's nothing," she muttered tonelessly in reply. Kana sweat-dropped, pursing her lips.

"Are you sure?" asked a new voice. Kimiko tilted her head and opened an eye to find the onmyoji girl eyeing her with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, yes, I'm totally fine. I'm just a bit bored…that's all," she explained hurriedly as she sat up and began to read her textbook.

"Uh…Higurashi-san…" Yura began. "You're reading it upside down."

"Am I?" said Kimiko as she chuckled lightly, turning it the right way up. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "I'm just trying to uh…adapt to new things, and the new atmosphere in school."  
"And I thought we were the new students," Kana said with a smile. She's _not the same Kimiko I once knew_, she thought, having come to the same conclusion as Rikuo.

"I have to snap myself out of this!" Kimiko muttered angrily, but softly to herself. "Nothing is supposed to bother me! I'm a yakuza boss after all."

00O00

From across the cafeteria, Rikuo sat with his own friends, eating his bento (prepared by Tsurara in the absence of his mom). His Hyakki Yakko had arrived a few days ago, so now they had people preparing their lunches for them at school.

"Did you see guys? I'm gonna be the evil prince!" Kiyotsugu-kun announced.

"Yeah, yeah, save the chitchat for later Kiyotsugu-kun, don't you want to see how things turn out between Kimiko-chan and Nura-kun?" Maki asked with a small smile. "Oi, Natsumi, what's up with you?"

Said girl was busy twiddling with her chopsticks, daydreaming about something.

"Huh? You called me, Saori-chan?" she asked. Her friend smiled wider.

"Daydreaming about Kurotabo-san again?" she asked mischievously.

"Guys," Kana said, looking exasperated. "Seriously?"

"Say, Kana-chan," Rikuo began. "Did you see those two new students?"

"Yeah, one is in our class, Kageshima Akito-kun. Who's the other one?"

"The other one is his younger sister, a first year, Kageshima Akemi," he explained, cocking his head towards the two who sat by themselves. They looked very similar, being siblings after all. Both had slightly pale luminescent skin, with dark grey eyes and jet black hair.

"What about them, Nura-kun?" asked Maki.

"Nothing…" he explained. "I just had a hunch."

"You're acting suspicious though," Torii added. Then she went back to her lunch.

Slowly, Rikuo's gaze went towards the one person he had set his eyes on recently. Kimiko was acting weird since he saw her go to the cafeteria. Like him, her eyes darted to and fro from her table to Akito's. Her gaze wasn't suspicious like his though.

"I hope you lot have enjoyed this school," said a new voice. Yui dragged a chair to their table and plopped down to sit with Maki and Torii.

"Ah, Hanasaki-san!" the three girls said simultaneously. Yura just opened her eyes, having been preoccupied with her food.

"We haven't seen you in a year!" Kana said.

"That confirms it all! Hanasaki-kun being here means that that is Kyouga Kimiko-san right?" Kiyotsugu said happily, seeing as Rikuo wasn't the only one being observant about their new school.

"But she doesn't recognize us at all…" Shima said. He had been quiet for most of the conversation, staring at Tsurara. While the yuki-onna, on the other hand, was staring at Rikuo, much to his inconvenience.

"Care to explain, Yui-san?" Rikuo asked, placing both his hands on the table.

"We only have a few theories, but this one is the most likely," she explained, casting nervous glances around them, like someone could be eavesdropping...

00O00

AN: Here's an update for y'all. It's my li'l bro's thirteenth b-day tomorrow so won't be able to update then. Hope you guys have a nice week! :)

Kiera Vincent


	13. From One-Fourth to One-Half

**AN: This will be a flashback related to the first story. For those who don't really care, you can skip to the next one I'm posting...:)**

**XII. From One-Fourth to One-Half**

00O00

"_No…Kimiko…" whispered Night Rikuo as the miko's tight grip on his hand had loosened, along with her hold on life. She dropped onto the cold stone floor, and another brown-haired priestess ran towards the two. _

_The nurarihyon turned around only to be met by the tip of Tessaiga, pointed at him by the girl's father. _

_Surprised, he had only a split second to give a glance at his night parade, and with the help of his fear, they all dissipated away, not to be seen again for a long time. It was the most that Rikuo could sacrifice for his Night Parade. _

"_Kimiko!" screamed Inuyasha as he took his daughter's limp body in his arms. _

"_Wait, Inuyasha-sama," interrupted her adoptive older brother. Though tear stains were still evident on his face, he wore a look of determination. "There might still be a way to save her."_

"_Please…help her," were the only words Inuyasha could say in reply. _

"_Jiisan," his hanyo niece, Aoi whispered, giving him an encouraging look. _

"_I should've done this before," Keiichi muttered, taking Kimiko's pale hand. He looked at Aoi, who handed him his sister's blade, Kougetsu, which was still sheathed and in Kimiko's grasp. _

"_What are you doing?" Inuyasha muttered suspiciously. _

"_I'm 'adopting' her," came the solemn reply as he used Kougetsu's night-shaded blade to slit his wrist. He did the same to Kimiko's and her blood gushed out, along with water. _

"_Oh no, that's a sign that her human body has given up," Aoi nervously muttered, working fast as she bound both Keiichi's and Kimiko's wrists together, ensuring the exchange of blood. _

"_If you two share blood—"_

"_Technically, she is receiving my blood. Since she is human, this would transform her into a hanyou, but unlike both of you. This would make her my legitimate sister, and at the same time, I get a bit of the original Inu no taisho's blood," he struggled to explain as the cloth Aoi had used to bind their wrists had begun to soak in precious ayakashi blood. _

"_We must empty this place," Aoi said as she stood up, taking charge as the Kyouga Gumi's taisho was currently busy. The head generals who were there flocked to her, asking for instructions. _

"_I'll will lead the first batch back to Mount Hakurei," Kimiko's former vassal, Kuroichi, said firmly. "It is the most I can do to help out with the situation."_

"_Say Keiichi, how long will this process take?" Inuyasha asked. _

"_Not too long; if it did, it would turn her into a fully fledged yokai, and that's the last thing we want to happen. Although I am getting some of her blood, the human essence of it would be consumed by the potency of mine."_

_Instead, the hanyo watched as the palace courtyard slowly emptied, feeling the previous emptiness that had seemed to seep into the very foundations of the castle, except for a few weeks ago, when Izumi had been active._

_Aoi, Inuyasha, Keiichi, and Reisi (Kuroichi's father), were the only ones left when the process was finally over. _

"_Be careful when you move her body, Inuyasha-sama, we still don't know if she has accepted the blood offered," Keiichi said cautiously as he leaned into Aoi's shoulder, slightly dizzy from the blood loss._

"_Keiichi-nii, you smell a bit like a human," the hanyo girl said softly. _

"_It'll disappear in a few days when my body has consumed it," he explained. His head lolled, and Reisi was forced to help Aoi support him. Even daiyokai had trouble when sharing blood._

_Although Kimiko's body was still limp from the human point of view, Inuyasha could feel something within her pulsing. It could've been her heart, and it could've been something else. _

_oOo_

_By the time that they had brought Kimiko to rest in the castle, she had begun breathing steadily again. Although everyone could sense that it was a relief too easily won, they all felt happy that she was alive. _

_Inuyasha and Kuroichi both looked after her as she rested, getting to know more about each other in the process. _

"_I have been protecting Hime-sama for over eleven years already," Kuroichi explained as he straightened out her closet, re-folding robes and making sure that those that were supposed to be displayed were displayed. _

_Kimiko had an extensive wardrobe, taking up almost a quarter of her room. Most of it were kimonos and other traditional types of clothing, while the others were her modern-day clothes. _

_Inuyasha got to know more about how Kimiko spent her life from when she had arrived on this side of the well, until he had been unsealed only days before. _

_It took his daughter a year to settle down into this new era, and it was after her fifth birthday that Keiichi had told her that he was going to adopt her as his little sister. _

"_Why didn't he adopt her as a daughter?" Inuyasha asked, although he was relieved that he didn't. _

"_Keiichi-taisho had decided long ago that he would only marry one person. That of course, would extend to not having children as well."_

"_Who knew that hanyo musume (girl or daughter) of Sesshomaru's could be so possessive?" Inuyasha muttered "Like father like daughter, I suppose...not that me and Kimiko are like that". _

_Life was easy back then, at least, until Kimiko was accompanied by Amaya, Reisi, and Kuroichi on a trip to the modern world. It was then that she was attacked by yokai who clung to old beliefs and wanted her ikigimo, sensing her dormant powers. _

_That event had sparked her wanting to learn how to defend herself against ayakashi. Keiichi had her learn from the miko of the Hakurei Shrine, where she excelled greatly because of her immense spiritual powers. By the age of thirteen, she had mastered all the miko arts (but not thoroughly learned all there is to learn), and had become the head priestess of the shrine. _

"_She's so much like Kagome!" Inuyasha remarked at the tale. Of course, she still lived under the care of her benefactor/adoptive brother. When she was not training as a miko (which was hidden from the other yokai, as well as her existence), she learned more about the modern human world, and studied like a normal human child under the tutelage of the rain goddess, Amaya (who also had a passion for learning). _

_Of course, with the age of thirteen came her small freedoms of exploring the world of the ayakashi, from their hierarchy to their yakuza chivalry. _

_The worst thing that came to her on the age of thirteen (and the best thing…for other people) was her unparalleled beauty. There were only small hints of it when she was younger. _

_To Inuyasha's eyes, however, she was already beautiful since birth, inheriting Izayoi's beauty and Kagome's charm. Of course, Kikyo was renowned also for her pale countenance, and it was reincarnated into Kagome, who wasn't aware of it at first. _

_First were her eyes. They were dark before, and almost always shadowed by messy bangs. But once she fixed her untamed hair, it revealed her chocolate sparkling eyes. They were the perfect blend of milk and dark chocolate. _

_Her hair was always messy before, much like Kagome's, and she hated brushing it into place, always keeping it in a messy ponytail. Then, she finally agreed to have it cut into a nicer style. Her bangs were more neatly trimmed, and her hair combed to its finest, so much so that it shone like the light on the water. _

_Life was pretty much like that for her: waking up early, studying for half a day with her friend Yui, and then after lunch, she would train and attend to her duties as a miko. On days when they did not study, Amaya and Reisi took them out on field trips to the human world. _

_oOo_

_After two days of resting, Kimiko's eyes finally fluttered open, and she shot up, awake and alert. _

"_Don't strain yourself too much," Inuyasha snorted, although giving a worried gaze as she placed a hand on her patched chest. _

"_Otousan," she murmured with a soft smile. "At least that part wasn't a dream."_

"_What do you mean?" Kuroichi asked, bringing tea with him. _

"_What flavor is that, Kuro?" she asked him, taking a whiff of it. _

"_Chrysanthemum," he replied curtly, as he sat down beside her father. She raised an eyebrow at the two's closeness. _

"_Can I have some?" she asked. _

"_Nope, this is for you," he said, giving her a putrid-smelling concoction in a mug. _

"_Don't tell me…" she groaned. Inuyasha raised a questioning eyebrow. _

"_It's good for ya, drink it up," he said as he drank his mug dry. _

"_I'm gonna get you back for this, Kuro," she muttered as she drank her mug full of liver until there wasn't a drop left. _

"_Hime-sama, what did you tell Rikuo-sama before you…um…collapsed?" Kuroichi asked cautiously, remembering the couple's closeness. _

"_Who's Rikuo-sama?" she asked in all solemnity._

00O00

"So there you go. We kept asking her if she remembered anything from before she had collapsed," Yui explained. "But she said that her memories were just short glimpses, except that there was nothing about Ukiyoe and the Nura Gumi's involvement at all. She doesn't even remember Tono, although she remembers the techniques taught to her."

"And what about the hanyo village?" Rikuo muttered darkly.

"As I said…only glimpses, and nothing about you. Taisho decided that we wouldn't trouble her with the lost memories. And we never referred to you by your name, only as your title and as the head of the Nura Gumi. And even that was mostly avoided. She suffered headaches whenever we talked about something she didn't remember. It pained her not only physically…she felt left out."

"That's why she didn't recognize any of us," Kiyotsugu said, holding his chin.

"Inuyasha-sama said that it could be the work of the Shikon no tama. It sealed Kimiko's mom's spiritual powers once, and it could seal Kimiko's memories."

"Is there any way to reverse the effects?" Yura asked.

"So far…we have found none."

00O00

AN: Here ya go! I was feeling lazy to upload. Believe it or not, I only have until chapter 17 written out! I have to start working faster or else you guys won't have anything to read! Well, wish me luck and more inspiration! :)


	14. Rehearsal

**AN:I decided to upload on this day especially because it is Rikuo-sama's Birthday! Happy Birthday Sandaime! Which is kind of cool since he was born on September 23, and I was born on September 28 :)**

**XIII. Rehearsal**

**~Yui/Yura~**

"Cut!" Kimiko's voice rang around the auditorium once more. Yui sighed, pushing the stage curtains aside to glare at her friend, who had an exasperated look on her face. Going back to telling the first years how to attach cloth to string, she secretly thanked the gods that she only needed to spend five minutes more before they had to go home.

Rehearsals had to be performed after school for now, partly because the performance was in one month and a half. But thanks to Kimiko's diligence, she had begun practicing with the actors earlier, while Yui had the stage measured for the right props and backgrounds.

From where she was backstage, she could hear Ienaga and Kiyotsugu practicing their lines bit by bit, taking brief glances at the script to be able to continue. She had to admit to herself, her friend had added some pretty good lines when she had reviewed the script, penning down some variations to the dialogues as well.

"Okay, that's all for today! Thanks for your help guys," she called to the first year volunteers. Gradually, the auditorium cleared out. Kimiko had already packed her bag and was sitting on the stage's edge, waiting for her to leave for home.

"I'm hoping that they were more cooperative with you today…" Kimiko began as Yui walked towards her, with bag in tow.

"Mostly, there were just a few times when I had to call their attention, because they were too interested in hearing what your actors were up to," Yui replied, rolling her eyes. Kimiko gave her an apologetic glance, biting her lip and not saying anything further.

"Sorry…about making practice so difficult for you…" she murmured. Yui glanced at her and sighed once more.

"Let's go back home. Irie-chan wouldn't appreciate it if you skipped out on her cooking tonight."

"Do lets," Kimiko said with a lighter tone, taking a quick glance around before closing the doors.

00O00

"What the heck are you doing here Otousan?!" a scream was heard from even the third floor. Yui peeked inside the house from her homework outside. She sympathized with Kimiko as she berated her father about never telling her when he came. "You could've called me!"

As she went back to her reading assignment, she could hear china breaking and cloths (it's meant to be that way) tearing from inside the house, barely being able to imagine the chaos that would reign in the kitchen once Kimiko's "Otousan" went inside.

"Don't touch any of that food!"

"Why not?!"

"Because we have to wait for everyone in the house to come inside first!"

"Who came up with that stupid rule?"

"I did Otousan! And need I remind you that I am the head of this household?"

"I come here and this is the welcome I get?" she could hear Inuyasha-sama reply.

"You should've told me in the first place!"

"It's not my fault okaasan's* telephone wasn't working!" (*polite way of saying mother)

"What were you doing at Obaachan's (grandma's) house?"

From then on, Yui could only hear soft murmurs from inside the house. She decided that it was time for her to clear her books and head inside. After all, she was able to concentrate better when she was alone, and the garden was the best place to do concentrating, especially with homework.

After closing the screen doors that lead to the kitchen, she turned around and found Irie and a couple of yuki-onna clearing up the mess that the two inu hanyo made.

"Where are they?" she asked. Irie gestured to the door that led to the sitting room. "They better not wreck any of my stuff in there," she muttered, remembering the hard-earned Nintendo Wii and the home theater system.

She went inside to find Inuyasha walking up the stairs. She figured that Kimiko had gone to do her own homework as well.

"How long will you be staying here this time, Inuyasha-sama?" she asked. He turned to face her and shrugged.

"Only for tonight I guess," she concluded. He nodded and went to his daughter's room. Not too long later, he came back down, alone.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked himself. Yui heard the question and turned in her seat on the sofa, giving him a scrutinizing glance.

"What were you doing at Kimiko's obaasan's place?" she asked. Everyone in the Azai group knew Inuyasha, who dropped by frequently to either make a stop, checking up on their Ojousama or just to ask for more information.

"I was hoping that I could reconnect the well there to the past."

"You told her that right?" Yui asked.

"Pretty much…"

"She's probably being sensitive about the past," Yui concluded, twisting around to sit properly again.

00O00

Although school was slowly becoming a bother, Yura was still thankful for some chance at a normal human lifestyle, whatever abnormal events take place in between. Through the years she had been in the Kiyojuji Paranormal Patrol, her role had become more prominent and permanent among them.

She was right behind Rikuo in leading the group, and had often taken the defensive position, guarding them in times of danger while Rikuo took the offense. Overtime, she had taken over Rikuo's job of protecting Kana, resulting in their close friendship.

Like people with good compatibility, Kana was able to balance out a lot of her habits and traits, from her interactions with strangers (from not caring about them to making greater efforts to know them personally) and her slight social awkwardness which was a result of her often training alone.

"Yura-chan, can you help me with this question?" Kana asked. Yura turned around in her seat, looking at the girl in disbelief. This was Ms. A-Student, the one who Rikuo competed with in academics...

"You…don't…understand…a…question?" she asked incredulously. Kana gave her an exasperated look, rolling her eyes and shoving her worksheet over to Yura's desk.

Slowly, Yura explained until the look of understanding lit up her friend's face. Fortunately, she was able to finish the worksheet right before class ended, leaving less homework for the brown-haired girl.

Yura slowly walked down the corridor, taking her sweet time getting to her next class. It was hard to move any faster than that anyway, seeing the many students crowding the hallway. It was history next, just another walk through the park, at least for both girls.

For most of the period, Yura observed her classmates more closely because she had more free time. It was a joint class with II-2, so it meant a reunion with her other friends. Since in this class people sat in circles, she, Kana, Rikuo, Kiyotsugu, Shima, and Tsurara sat at one table while others sat in the other two in the room.

On the table across from them sat Higurashi Kimiko, Hanasaki Yui, and other students. For some reason, the eight of them (Rikuo's group, Kimiko, and Yui) had an easier time in History, making their teacher give them a separate worksheet to do so at least they would learn something else.

00O00


	15. Invitation

**AN: Interesting fact, tomorrow, I will be the same age Kagome was when she first went down the well... :)**

**XIV. Invitation**

**~Akito-Kimiko-Rikuo~**

"I'll be off then," Kimiko muttered as soon as she tucked her wakizashi in her belt. They made a crisscross behind her, being secured in the ribbon of her obi.

Yui sighed, Kimiko was going by herself again, regardless of everyone warning her that at least taking one or two from the clan would be safer. Kimiko argued by saying that she didn't want anyone to face the risks she faced every other night on patrol.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Irie asked. Yui and Kimiko gave her that look, the one that told her to stop asking because she already knew the answer.

"Don't waste your arrows!" Yui called as Kimiko disappeared into the night.

00O00

There were many yokai-only restaurants and bars around Kamasai. They were only visible and accessible to those who had yokai blood. Despite the Azai Clan's influence, few common yokai knew that their leader was dominantly human. After dark, these creatures of the night had nothing holding them back from prowling the streets, when Kimiko patrolled the alleyways.

Refusing to take on a more yokai-like form, she merely surrounded herself in youki so dense that no one would be able to recognize her being human.

At first it seemed like her average patrol, checking with previous acquaintances if anything funny was going on. Kamasai wasn't as big and rowdy as Ukiyoe, so they had more peace ever since the Azai clan stepped in.

As she made her way through another dark alleyway, she heard the sounds of metal clashing and people shouting angrily. It was strange since there was no trace of youki in the air. She broke into a run, finding a gang of delinquents crowded over what seemed like another person on the floor. Although they were human, she couldn't help but feel angry at them for ganging up against a helpless person.

Slinging her bow across her back, she made her way towards them, pushing her sleeves up her arms.

"Oi, you bunch of idiots!" she exclaimed at the top of her lungs. About half of them turned around to look at her.

"Now, who's this little missy?" said a guy from their group. They parted into two groups and whoever spoke walked up to her, towering over her, completely missing her annoyed expression.

Asides from his height, he seemed to be a senior in one of the public schools nearby. Wearing his gakuran unbuttoned and showing his torn t-shirt, his delinquent look was emphasized by the thin metal headband he was wearing on his dyed blonde hair.

Ignoring him, Kimiko looked aside to find a younger boy, probably in his second year in middle school, struggling to get on his feet.

"Oi, look at me when I'm talking to ya!" he said, forcefully grabbing her chin to face him.

"Don't touch me!" she retorted, slapping his hand away. "And that's not how you treat a girl, you big-headed moron!" she added, kicking him where the sun didn't shine. He fell on his knees, looking up at her with a fierce glare, only to be met with a roundhouse kick that knocked him unconscious.

"You derived bastard!" she exclaimed, dusting her hands and making sure he was unconscious.

"Hey, who do you think you are, making our boss look stupid?!" asked one of the boys angrily.

"He didn't need my help to look like one," she stated, walking closer towards them. A few of them backed off, but the more reckless ones approached her.

"So you want us to treat ya like a girl huh?" asked another one with tattoos all over his body. He grinned slyly at her, showing off his perverse intention.

Those who stayed behind cheered them on, saying things like 'yeah, show her who's boss' and 'come on, give her what she deserves for humiliating Takeo-san.'

"What a bunch of idiots," she muttered to herself before making another roundhouse kick aimed at his torso, when he caught her foot. She pushed her foot further, kicking his chest in response and knocking him down.

Using that as a catapult, she flipped in mid-air and kicked one of the guys heads, making him fall and knock the other one beside him.

Then she dodged a metal bat aimed at her head and punched the guy in the kisser, then using his state of confusion to swing his arm and hit another guy with his metal bat.

However, she missed the guy behind her, who had taken the opportunity to grab both her hands and hold her down while the rest began to gang up on her. Her eyes had begun to turn amber when all of a sudden, someone behind the group had begun punching people to and fro, distracting those closest to her.

She kicked the guy closest to her and pushed behind, knocking out the guy who was holding her hands, giving him another kick for touching her even though he was already unconscious.

"You're lucky that was the only thing I did to you...I could have castrated you for that!" she exclaimed angrily.

She made her way to the bloodbath (well not literally that), and dodged chains, more metal bats, knives, and so on until she tripped on one of those who were knocked out and two strong hands caught her, allowing feelings of nostalgia to erupt within her.

She looked up at her rescuer and recognized the dark grey eyes that had saved her from a similar situation. Although he was dressed differently, she was sure that it was Kageshima Akito, with his unruly black hair and pale skin along with his black jacket rolled up to his sleeves and his grey v-neck shirt. With his dark jeans, he wore black sneakers and had a small smile on his face, remembering the incident.

"Akito-san?" she asked.

"Higurashi-fuku-kaichou?" he returned.

Suddenly, the tip of a knife appeared in his torso, with his blood dripping on it. His hold loosened on her as she stared, horrified...

She got up, finally unsheathing one of her wakizashi and sliced the blade that was pierced into Akito, in two.

"I really didn't want to do this, but you guys forced my hand," she murmured, her sclera turned black and using her fear, she immobilized them. Using the back of her blade, she began knocking them out without blood being shed. It took all of her willpower not to kill them then and there. They were facing an inu daiyokai with a history of bloodshed after all.

Once they had all collapsed, she yanked the knife out of Akito's back, throwing it aside. She went over to the bruised boy who wasn't as badly hurt as she first thought, making sure that he could move, before sending him home.

"Arigato, Oneechan!" he had said with a smile before leaving. Next, she ran towards Akito, whom she had instructed to put pressure on the wound. The knife did not hit a vital spot, but she was sure that the pain was horrible.

"Akito-san, do you think you can stand up?" she asked, placing her hand on top of his.

"I…can try…" he managed to say after coughing up blood.

"You'll survive; just let me get you to the hospital. It shouldn't be too far," she muttered, ripping off part of her sleeve to dress the wound. He laughed softly, and she looked at him confusedly.

"It's alright Vice-pres, at least I saw what you looked like in a kimono before I go," he whispered amusedly. Although her cheeks were burning, Kimiko bit her lip and muttered angrily.

"Don't be so hasty, you're still young," she said with a small frown.

"Aren't you young too?" he asked her with a smile, which immediately turned into a frown as he stood up. He ended up having to lean on her as they shuffled towards the entrance of the alley.

Suddenly, Kimiko froze. She felt a tremendous amount of youki nearby. She prayed that it wasn't a yokai coming to challenge her to prove its own strength. In response, her own fear dissipated slowly.

Slowly, a shadow slowly came out as they neared the alley's entrance and their only exit. Kimiko's hand slowly edged to her wakizashi, but stopped. It was partly because the shadow had disappeared, and partly because it had repositioned itself underneath the sidewalk light, and she recognized the unmistakable form of the Lord of Pandemonium.

"Ayakashi-sama!" she whispered. The form opened one of his eyes, revealing crimson irises who began to study the situation. Akito began to sag and she struggled to pull him up again.

"Who…who the heck are you?" Akito asked, glaring at the figure in front of them.

"I may ask you the same thing," he replied, opening both of his eyes. Akito noticed that both Kimiko and the strange person were wearing traditional Japanese clothes.

He began to think that there was some sort of connection between the two. Although he couldn't think of a plausible reason for Kimiko to know someone who had charcoal-tipped silver hair who constantly wore a loose black yukata with a plain blue haori draped on his shoulders. Also, his crimson eyes and silver hair were another thing.

"Ayakashi-sama, I really don't have enough time to chitchat with you now," Kimiko added, looking around for a possible shortcut to the hospital. Beside her, Akito groaned in pain once more.

"Akito-san!" she exclaimed in panic, placing her hand on his wound. A few drops fell on the floor, and Rikuo's eyes widened.

"You're hurt?" he asked, walking closer. Kimiko took a couple of steps back. This was the Lord of the Night, and despite his mixed heritage, he had been raised and surrounded by yokai all of his life. Because of that, she couldn't help but debate on trusting him.

"I have to get him to the hospital quick," she explained, "he got injured while saving me from some delinquents."

"Don't," Rikuo said in all seriousness. She looked at him askance. "Look at all the weapons you have; don't you think they would find you suspicious?"

For a moment she was quiet, realizing that.

"But if I don't, he can die of blood loss," she replied. She heard what seemed to be a sigh from him.

"Give him to me," he instructed, and he Akito to lean on him instead. "I know someone who can help."

00O00


	16. Night Parade

**XV. Night Parade**

**Rikuo-Kimiko~**

"Ajisai Manor?" Kimiko whispered as they arrived at the mansion's gate. She looked at Ayakashi-sama, who was still supporting Akito, and hoped that her trust wouldn't go to waste. After all, Ayakashi-sama was the Lord of the Night.

The gardens surrounding the clash of a feudal modern styled mansion were filled with hydrangeas, earning it the name, Ajisai Manor...They were flowers that signified "pride" in the language of flowers. It was the reason why Kimiko was so fond of the small clusters of bright blue blossoms...

Before she could ask why whoever they were looking for was staying at one of the Daihyouren Clan's mansions, the crimson-eyed ayakashi spoke.

"A friend of mine lent us the place for a while," he explained, watching her confused expression vanish. "You can relax now Miko-chan. My friend knows his medicine well."

Kimiko could only sigh and nod in reply.

00O00

Adding to her misfortune, the minute they got into the house, she was shoved into a room full of partying yokai.

"Ayakashi–" She almost gave a squeal as she noticed the small group of yokai on the floor so near to her.

One of them that smelled oddly of natto bumped into her leg, turned around and raised a drunken fist at her for bumping into him. That was when his eyes suddenly widened and he squealed as well.

She wanted to turn around and follow Ayakashi-sama to where he was taking Akito, but she realized that no one was there anymore. She was worried about what the yokai in the room would do once they realized that a stranger was in their presence.

"Hey you!" the natto-smelling yokai said. She pointed a finger at herself in askance. "Yeah you! Who do you think you are?"

And Kimiko was caught in a moment of deliberation. She didn't know how to introduce herself without revealing her true identity, and if she told the yokai here who she truly was, it would confuse Ayakashi-sama who thought that she was merely a miko.

"You're alive! We all thought you were dead!" said another yokai near her. This one smelled like tofu. Although it saved her from answering the Natto yokai's question, she was thrust into further confusion by his words.

"Dead?" she asked. Suddenly the Natto yokai's eyes widened in what seemed to be realization, and all of a sudden, she was in the middle of a messy maze.

"Come on! Sit down," he commanded, rushing off to get something for her to drink. The tofu yokai called to a few more of his friends.

"Oi mina-san! Hime-sama's returned!" he called, and a few more yokai turned their heads towards her.

One of them was a tall female yokai with wavy chocolate brown hair. Her kimono was loose, showing ample cleavage, and she sat beside a yokai who seemed to have lost his head. They eyed her with an interested stare, although there was a hint of confusion as well.

Kimiko looked up and found what she thought to be his head floating in the ceiling. She gulped, and almost shrieked again as a small hand made her sit on the floor.

The small yokai surrounded her, looking eagerly at her face, as if expecting her to say something.

"I'm sorry," she began with an awkward smile, "I think you got me mixed up with someone else…"

"Of course not! We'd recognize your face anywhere Hime-sama!" said the tofu yokai.

"Umm…" she began to say, biting her lip in distress. Inside, she was burning with rage, wanting to kill the Lord of Pandemonium for dragging a miko such as herself in a situation like that.

"Oi, if it isn't Waka himself!" said the natto yokai, looking to the door that was just slid open, granting entrance to the very object of Kimiko's…violent thoughts.

"You lied to us!" another one of the smaller yokai said. "Hime-sama is alive!" he added, pointing to Kimiko, who had turned around and faced him.

00O00

Rikuo paused by the door to the room where everyone was partying. It was like this almost every night ever since they arrived. He was thinking about telling them to be quiet and be considerate of his friends who were asleep two floors above them. Tsurara had also gone to sleep early, wanting to have enough energy for the next day.

After he had finished bringing the wounded boy to Zen's room, he had decided to go and get Kimiko, whom he had mercilessly left at the hands of his Hyakki Yakko. He smirked at the thought of Kimiko dealing with a bunch of happy-go-lucky ayakashi in his absence.

As soon as he got in however, he found himself being pestered with questions and accusations.

"You lied to us Waka!" Ko-Oni complained.

"Waka look, it's Hime-sama!" Natto Kozo said with a smile.

"What's this Sandaime?" Kejoro said, moving closer to him. "Looks like you were wrong…"

"Sandaime, why did you have to cover up for Hime-sama when she is alive?" asked Kubinashi, who in his drunkenness, had his head too close for Rikuo's comfort.

"Everyone…" Rikuo said in all seriousness. "It's not her."

"WHAT?!" they all exclaimed together. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Bu-bu-but-" Natto Kozo began to mutter, but was cut off by a dulcet voice laced with barely disguised violent intent.

"Ayakashi-sama," he heard Kimiko say from behind the crowd of yokai. Slowly, he made his way toward her, surprised to find himself being faced with her soft smile, but cruel-lighted eyes. He sat down in front of her, taking the sake that she did not drink.

With or without them caring what the other yokai were doing (and they were watching the couple's exchang with silence), Kimiko raised an irritated eyebrow.

"Who the heck is 'Hime-sama'?" she asked in a steely cold voice. He raised an eyebrow and drank more. _Was she jealous?_ Then she cleared her throat to emphasize her question.

"She was a close friend of mine who was acquainted with my night parade," came his explanation. "You resemble her closely and that's why they thought she was you." _Why am I lying?_ he thought.

"Oh," she murmured. Her cold expression broke down, slight traces of sympathy began to appear. He watched her reaction change. She must know only too well the loss of a close friend. "So is she really dead?"

He gave her a stern nod. "But I'm beginning to have doubts about it," he muttered to himself.

"I did not know," she murmured, not hearing him. "Is Akito-san alright?"

"Yes, Zen is taking care of him right now. He said that the boy's body had stabilized. Do you want to check on him?" he asked.

"If it's possible," she replied.

He got up, and gave her his hand, helping her up. Everyone watched in silence as he slid open the door, letting her leave before he did, but before anything happened, he gave them all a stern look, and they went back to their partying.

00O00

Rikuo could hear Kimiko trying to pace her footsteps so that her anxiety didn't show. Asides from his amusement at her failed attempt, he also felt nostalgic, but in a good way, remembering the way she used to walk behind him before.

"Yo Zen," he said once he and Kimiko made their entrance. His friend raised an eyebrow as he looked over Kimiko, throwing him a look of confusion.

"Ah…the boy has stabilized and it seems that my ointments work just as well with humans.

"Zen-san," Kimiko bowed with her head on the floor. Zen began to feel awkward while Rikuo watched, amused. "I cannot thank you enough for saving my friend's life."

"What happened that got him so bloodied up anyway?" Zen asked, drinking a bit of sake to replenish his constantly waning strength. He had recovered from feeling awkward from Kimiko's sudden grateful act.

"He got stabbed by some other delinquents while helping me beat them up for beating up another boy," she explained, casting a relieved glance at the sleeping Akito.

"You were beating up delinquents?" Zen asked after he almost choked on his sake. She shrugged, but was distracted by someone's beginning to speak once again.

"What was he doing there in the first place?" Rikuo asked.

"I was on my way to finish an errand for my sister," explained the victim himself as he struggled to sit up. Kimiko rushed over to him and helped to support his actions. "I'm not asleep."

Zen looked at Rikuo with an expectant gaze, seeing small hints of pain and jealousy in his crimson eyes. This was a girl he had cared about so much and she was nonchalantly interacting with another human boy in his presence. So much for patience…

"Thank you for saving my life," Akito said with a grateful smile to the two yokai in the room. Kimiko still gazed at him anxiously.

"Don't move so much, your wounds will open again," she scolded. However, there was a hint of glee in her eyes as she surveyed him. He was well on his way to recovery.

"Thank you again, Ayakashi-sama, for your help in getting Akito-san treatment," she said to him with one of her warm smiles. His eyes widened and looked away, muttering something about it not being a big deal.

That was when there was a flutter of wings heard outside the room. Kimiko recognized the sound to be one of the messenger butterflies that the Kyouga Gumi used for special occasions only. With a thoughtful look on her face, she opened the screen window, letting the larger-than-average butterfly float in the room.

It dropped a scroll in her hands. The writing on it explained that it was addressed to the Sandaime of the Nura Clan. She handed it to him, feeling more worried by the second.

"What is this?" he asked, beginning to open the scroll. The moment he read its contents, his eyes popped wide open. He made swift gazes at Kimiko while he read on, passing it to Zen after finishing it.

"What a pleasant surprise…" he murmured to himself.

"What is?" Kimiko asked, growing more anxious.

"It seems that the Nidaime of the Kyouga Clan has recently become betrothed to the daughter of the once Lord of Pandemonium, Sesshomaru," Zen commented, giving Kimiko the scroll.

She browsed its contents swiftly. It was an invitation to the wedding ceremony of Kyouga Keiichi and Aoi, Sesshomaru-sama's daughter. She resisted having her jaw drop because of the sudden news. The wedding was to be on the next full moon, a mere week from the present time. Her brows knitted themselves as she pondered over what had been going on since her mission began.

"I suppose now I have something to do over the holidays…" Rikuo murmured amusedly, watching Kimiko's reaction.

"I…I didn't know that something like this would happen so quickly," she muttered.

"Come again Miko-chan?" Rikuo asked with a small smirk.

"Oh, um, I didn't think that ayakashi still observed traditions like these," she explained. "It's the first I've heard of in these times."

"I have a feeling that Keiichi-kun invited us because we're currently on his territory, why else?" Rikuo added thoughtfully.

00O00

"Well, I better head home now," Kimiko said once she and Rikuo had deposited Akito in his bedroom. She had wiped his memories of the night and replaced it with a mild accident that would explain the bandages on his torso.

The two walked slowly down the street. There was an awkward silence between them, but none really cared because they had too much to say.

"So Ayakashi-sama," she enunciated slowly, looking up at the stars. Rikuo raised an eyebrow in reply. "You will be there at the ceremony, am I right?"

"Of course," he said with a playful smile, knowing what situation it would put Kimiko in. "You're welcome to come as my guest…Keiichi-kun would most certainly tolerate that much of me."

"He most certainly will not," Kimiko muttered to herself. Her mind wandered with various ways of hiding her identity during the week she would be spending back at Mount Hakurei...

"Why don't I walk you home?" he asked her, disrupting her thoughts. She was about to let him when she remembered what kind of ayakashi he was.

"No need for that, I'm not going home anyways," she replied hastily.

"How come?"

"I have to finish my patrol…" she murmured apologetically.

"Then I'll accompany you," he said with persistence.

"I can protect myself, thank you very much," she said nonchalantly. "You should go back. Your night parade will be missing you," she added.

"Those guys won't even miss me," he said softly. _Would you?_ He thought to himself. "But since you seem made up on being alone, then I will head home."

With that said, he slowly dissipated, surprising Kimiko. "Oh…then I guess this is goodbye," she whispered as his silhouette disappeared.

00O00

AN: Aww! I guess Rikuo knows when to give a girl her space...:) I found it awesome that Rikuo's birthday was five days before mine! Well I'm fifteen now, but I have no idea how old Rikuo is...hmm, better give that more thought. Anyways, please keep reviewing and please please please review because I barely have anything to keep me writing on and on for you guys!


	17. What People do on Holidays

**XVI. What people do on holidays**

Wrapping a pink muffler around her neck, Kimiko sighed softly to herself. She grabbed her bag as her station was called.

Against most of her clan's wishes, and more for her own selfish desires, she got herself on a separate section of the bullet train. She loved the fact that she was alone yet at the same time, was longing for the comfort only a tight-knit group like her clan could give.

It had been more than three months since she last came home to Mount Hakurei. The previous time was for the general meeting of clan leaders, which she was now proud to attend. Her chest swelled up once more at the thought of the memory. She had sat down on one of the cushions in the room and proved herself to be a capable leader, much like her elder brother.

_"The Kage Syndicate has been reduced to a small group with most of its followers scattered without a leader. I give you my word that if they ever cause problems for the main family once more, I will deal with them as you would expect a band of hopeless traitors to be treated."_

She remembered the update she gave when explaining how she had almost hunted down to extinction the kage-oni of the Kage Gumi, sparing only Kiomi, who had been loyal to the main family the entire time.

Everyone was surprised at her harsh methods, and she herself knew that she may have gone a bit overboard, acknowledging it and apologizing for it. True, acknowledging it was a blow to her pride, but it made her feel better knowing that she could still determine her right from her wrong.

Such was the content of her daydreams, but even daydreams had to end. The moment that she stepped outside the door, she was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug by none other than Yui, who was feeling stuffed with no one to talk to.

"Is that how you treat the clan leader Yui?" Kimiko asked sternly, but with eyes lit with amusement.

"Give me a break Kimiko! Kiomi-neechan was asleep the whole time! I had no one but my phone to talk to! You didn't even answer any of my text messages!" she complained with a groan.

Behind them, the small group that came along for the celebration smiled with amusement at the bickering couple. A few sweat-dropped, feeling that their boss's childish side had risen to the surface once more.

"I was gonna reply, but my phone died! I couldn't even call Oniisama to tell him that we were close to the station!" Kimiko replied with equal irritation.

"That's why I figured that I'd come here early to pick you up instead," said a cold stern voice. The two turned around to find the familiar spiky silver-haired leader of the Kyouga Clan.

Kyouga Keiichi looked like a foreign model in modern-day clothes. He wore dark loose jeans and black sneakers along with a grey v-neck shirt with a white muffler and dark blue sweater.

Beside him was Aoi who wore a pale blue dress with a rounded neckline, showing her butterfly necklace, which matched Kimiko's sakura blossom pendant. She wore a dark brown trench coat which was open, along with a pink muffler and her silver hair underneath a pink and blue beanie.

"Congratulations on the engagement!" Yui squealed as she caught sight of them. Aoi smiled and blushed delicately. To both girls' surprise, Kimiko's eyes narrowed and she passed by them, with complete feigned ignorance.

"Um…ano, Neesama," Aoi managed to whisper, before Keiichi took her hand in his, whispering something in her ear.

"Give her a bit of time…she's angry because we didn't tell her earlier," he said with a hint of irritation.

"I hope you're wrong…" she murmured.

00O00

Kimiko remained silent for the rest of the road trip back to the mansion. It was a feat for her to hold her tongue for so long.

Her fingers impatiently tapped on the armrest of her seat, thinking about how she and Ayakashi-sama parted the other night. She hadn't seen him the other day either…although she was also questioning why she was worried that she didn't see him.

She scolded herself on thinking too much about him, and proceeded to plan on how she would evade him during the ceremony. It would be next to impossible since Yui had informed her that both of them were to help out in the ceremony as miko.

She sighed audibly, leading a few in the van to look at her askance. She faced the window, giving no inclination that she cared about them.

"Keiichi, I'm getting worried about Neesama," Aoi whispered, clutching her muffler tightly.

"She'll get over it, she's just being moody after all," he replied, although he was feeling similar to his fiancé.

00O00

"I miss my room!" Kimiko squealed as she jumped on the thick futon, hugging the soft comforter to herself, as she released a contented sigh.

It was still the same despite of half a year of no one sleeping there. It resembled her room back at Kamasai, but was larger and the walk-in closet had more traditional clothing than everyday attire.

After a few moments of comfort, her head jerked up.

"Now to execute my plan!" she exclaimed as she got up, glancing quickly at the tempting bed once again. "Hmm…maybe I'll execute it later…" she whispered as she buried herself under the covers once again.

She ended up falling asleep and having an assortment of ideas that got jumbled up. When she woke up, all dissipated like steam on a cold day.

Feeling refreshed and worried that she was late for dinner, she opened the windows to find that night had still to fall.

"If I'm my plan will work, then I will have to get used to living without my bow," she whispered sadly and softly. "Well, it's all for the sake of my identity…"

00O00

People began filling the dinner hall, taking the proper places at the sides of the room. They sat according to their rank and power, with the highest positions closest to the raised platform where Keiichi, his fiancé and sister sat.

A few moments after they had begun eating, Aoi noticed a few spots that were blank with no one sitting there. She looked to the left of Keiichi, and it was empty as well. She resigned to her seat when all of a sudden the door beside them slid open, attracting the attention of most in the room.

She first caught a glimpse of the array of pink and black silk that formed the furisode that her cousin wore. Kimiko's equally silky black hair fell neatly past her waist and her eyes were lowered, shadowed by her neatly trimmed bangs. When she raised her head, Aoi noticed the fierce golden glare of her eyes instead of the usual warm chocolate gleam.

Even Keiichi beside her realized the change in Kimiko's aura. Her powerful youki was unmasked and fear emanated from every part of her. This was her true form: hanyou with the potent and boiling blood of the Inu no Taisho.

Bowing to make her apology, Kimiko exuded a grand aura, replacing the masked coldness of her usual priestess form. Keiichi had to swallow his food before forgiving her tardiness and she took her place on his left.

Now that Aoi was to be his bride, she had been moved to his left instead of his right. It was a demotion, but she didn't care anymore.

However, that was not the only surprising thing that happened during dinner.

The doors at the back of the room slid open as well, and Kimiko's fear was almost overshadowed by the new aura that filled the room.

With the charcoal flames of fear surrounding him, the Sandaime appeared on his seat, not too far from the platform, but everyone's attention was on him. There were those who turned away once they realized who it was.

The Lord of Pandemonium had surpassed his previous appearances and was now wearing a formal black yukata edged with gold trimmings along with a dark gold haori with the Nura Clan's crest stitched in black silk thread.

His usual gravity-defying hair only served to heighten everyone's alertness of his presence as he smirked.

Things settled down quickly and conversations resumed once more.

Kimiko still sat frozen in her seat. She didn't know that with her yokai senses heightened, she would be this much more aware of the gap between her and his abilities.

Her eyes showed her only emotions, while her mouth was pressed into a thin line. Her pink lips turned darker with the pressure she exerted on them. Her hand was in mid-air and her fiery gaze turned to the one who had just bested her entrance.

What she half-expected was that he would turn towards her, his blood ruby eyes catching hold of her fiery amber ones. His closed lips parted, and she could sense emotions from him that only confused and boggled her mind.

She could see into his soul, feeling a sharp pain in her chest as she felt that she hit a barrier. But it was that barrier that contained his feelings and it was what caused the pang in her chest.

Yet from a shallow point, he seemed relaxed and easy-going, with his lips edging into a proud smirk. Her eyes widened and she almost snapped her chopsticks. But before there was enough pressure, she froze and turned away, instead gazing at the screen doors and breathing deeply to relax herself.

Despite her probing his eyes for any sign of recognition, she had found much more than she had bargained for.

She put her bowl and chopsticks down, bowing towards her brother before leaving her seat and heading for the place she treasured the most.

00O00

AN:I would say that I'm sorry for not updating for so long (I think it's only been slightly more than a week since I updated last), but you guys have heard all the sorry's from other authors already. I am sorry though, for proving that I'm like the rest of the authors out here, irresponsible and often unmotivated.

Despite all that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and if you want to, scold me on being late...

Yours truly, Kiera-san


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